Life in the Fast Lane
by TheBluePill
Summary: Tori finds out what it's like to live, Jade style. But the life of freedom has it's cons, and she's bound to find them out. AU, eventual Jori.
1. You Ready

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Oh look at me, back with another story. I honestly don't know at this point in time whether this will be a long story or just a 2-3 shot, but we'll see. This story is going to be for more mature people, in quite a few ways, so keep that in mind.**

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**Tori's POV**

"Hey Tor, got great news for you!" Andre breathlessly panted as he ran up to Tori, holding out a piece of paper.

"What's this?" She asked curiously.

"Local band, looking for a guitar player. I've heard of 'em, they play down at Pierce. Hot lead singer," he mentioned with a wink.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically but didn't comment. "How did you find out about this?"

"That's where it gets good, I'm friends with their bass player. Cool guy, that one. He'll hook you up with a try out at least," Andre said enthusiastically, with a hopeful look.

She thought for a moment, "Alright, alright, I'll look into it. Thanks Andre."

Tori got out her laptop and went to the website advertised on the paper, "Social Revolution, huh" she said to herself with a small laugh.

She got curious and looked at the photos of the band, most were of the drummer, bass player, and other guitarist, she guessed their singer didn't like pictures. Finally she came across one, and she nearly dropped her laptop.

_It was a girl. And she was fucking hot._

"Thank you so much Andre."

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"No, like this, more fluid motions. Your button-mashing skills won't help you here, got to be precise." I had been training this kid for weeks, he had tons of potential but couldn't play the part. We needed a new guitarist, fast. Brad's better on backup anyway.

"Hey Jade!" What the hell could have _Ben_ so enthusiastic?

"'Sup Ben?" I asked him.

"Got us an audition for the guitarist position. My friend Andre said his friend has been looking for something, said she's a prodigy." _Wait. She?_

"Ben, you know how I am about other girls in the band…"

"Yeah, I know, it distracts us and breaks us up. But I already cleared that. Lesbo guitar prodigy. How about that? Huh?" Ben said, almost jumping around in excitement.

"Sweet, then Jade could get a date," My brother Kevin butted in from behind me.

"Shut it, Kevin!" I snapped.

"Look, I'm not going to go all double standard on you guys," I started.

"It's totally fine with me if she joins," Ben said, cutting me off. A chorus of approvals from all the others made me sigh.

"Alright, fine. Noon, tomorrow." I said, getting back to my songwriting.

The next day I was a bit apprehensive. Having another girl in the band made me nervous, so I was just hoping she was terrible.

My brother and I were messing around with our respective instruments in our basement, he was trying out some random beats, while I was playing a fast paced set of riffs, followed by some slower chords.

Suddenly I heard a voice behind me, that of a girl, "Hot for Teacher, Van Halen." I had my back to her so of course I didn't see her.

I tried out something different, a steady rhythmic beat.

"Black Ice, AC/DC." She said without hesitation. I smirked, this girl was good.

I tried one more, an up and down, semi-slow beat.

"Livin' On The Edge, Aerosmith."

"Very good," I said, setting the guitar down.

"I suppose introductions are in order," Ben said as I turned around. And holy shit. _Hey Ben, you forgot to mention the fact she's sexy as hell._ I wasn't at all hiding the fact I was checking her out. She noticed.

"Tori, this is Jade. Jade, this is Tori." I just nodded at her, I'm not one for physical contact, even with her. At this point in time anyway…

Recomposing myself, I handed her my guitar, "Alright, let's see what you can do."

She took a moment to prepare, which made me skeptical for a second. Then, she started to play, she was doing the simple beat from '_House Of The Rising Sun by The Animals,' _though it was an easy set, she did it justice. I nodded and said, "That was good, but try something a little more…In your face. " She thought for a moment, then started playing '_Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold'_ and my eyebrows rose in surprise. After she finished a flawless guitar solo I pointed to her and nodded to Brad, "That's how you play guitar." I was genuinely impressed, this girl was good.

"So what's the layout of this band? I forgot to ask." _At least she cares._

"Brad over there plays backup guitar, Ben plays bass, dumbass over there plays drums obviously, and I sing. Used to also play guitar but now that we've got you I don't have to bother." I said matter-of-factly, completely downplaying the fact I implied that I thought she was good enough to be in the band.

"Wait, I'm in?" _Very observant._

"I say so, but I'm not the only person in this band. Ask the others." I said, flopping down into a bean bag chair.

"Got my vote too, damn good player," Ben added.

"My name's Kevin by the way, and Jade's irritable so watch out. Either way, I say yes," Kevin said. _Ass._

I just rolled my eyes and Tori laughed a little bit.

"I'm all for her, anything to get Jade off my ass," Brad said. I flipped him off in return, eliciting a laugh from the rest.

"Wow, that's awesome. Thanks guys," she said enthusiastically. _Oh god, she's one of those people._

Ben then spoke up, "Hey, in celebration of Tori's joining the band, how about we go to Pierce, my treat?"

"I'll go, but you're the DD this time. I'm not going to be abstinent this time. You've deprived me too long," I said in an irritated voice. _Seriously, it's been like a month since I've gotten properly wasted._

"Fine, since it's on me, I'll be the DD," Ben compromised.

"Awesome, let's go!" Brad said.

"I call shotgun in the Mustang!" Kevin shouted. _Fuck no._

"Actually…" _Do go on._ "Since it's Jade's ride, we'll let her pick." _Ben, always the mediator._

"Aight, Ben you're in the back, you're gonna be the DD on the drive back. And uh… Tori, ever been in a Mustang?" I inquired with a sly smirk.

"No…But I have a feeling I'm going to be…" She said nervously.

Kevin interrupted, "No worries Tor, she drives like a maniac but couldn't crash if she tried." _Drive like a maniac? Please. I simply live life in the fast lane. Learn that someday, kiddo._

"Fine, I'll go get changed and we'll go." I muttered. Making my way up to my room, I put little thought into what to wear. I grabbed a t-shirt, which I later figured out to be Pink Floyd, some jeans, and boots.

I grabbed my keys, leather jacket, and wallet on the way out, simply for my ID, Ben was covering my ass tonight, I wasn't paying a dime. I waited by the door while the guys took longer than I did to get ready. _Thought I was the girl of the band._

Tori was there as well, not having stuff here to do anything if she wanted to.

I leaned my head back against the door and shouted to the boys, "Hurry up or we're leaving without you, and with your credit card, Ben!"

Ben and Brad were over at the door soon after that, but Kevin still took a minute or two. He came over dressed similarly to me, we've always had similar styles.

"Wee-hoo let's go," I said humorlessly as I opened the door to the garage. In the garage was Kevin's black 150 pickup, and my baby. My new, black, Shelby GT500 convertible Mustang, the 2014 model. Tori's jaw almost hit the floor as she stared at it. She commented on how she could almost see her reflection in it and it was so cool. _Yeah, I know, it's my car._

Ben flipped up the passenger seat to get in the back and set it back in position for Tori to get in. She looked around in it as if it was the most profound thing she'd ever seen, I just smirked. _Now that I think about it, I think this girl is almost as gorgeous as my car._

Kevin started up his truck and left, and I followed suit. As soon as my car roared to life, I was backing out of the driveway, maybe a little too fast but hey, I drive like a maniac.

I stopped at the entrance/exit of our neighborhood and looked at Tori, "You ready?"

"Nope."

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**A/N: If you can guess what song I was listening to when I got the idea for this story, bravo ;). ****Also, it'd be cool if you guys PM'd me some prompts ****(Jori), just to see what you guys like to read. Will probably do some of them. Either way, hope you enjoyed and let me know what you thought!**


	2. Field Trip

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Here's an extra chapter early cause I'm slacking off on other work I'm supposed to be doing. Oooops. **

**BTW, forgot to put disclaimers in the last chapter for the songs I used, of course they aren't mine.**

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**General POV**

Jade turned on the radio and muttered, "Sissy," before shifting into first gear and peeling out of the addition.

"Don't you think you're going a little fast!" Tori shouted over the wind rushing by.

"Hah! Good luck with that!" Ben yelled from the back seat.

Jade just smirked and accepted the inadvertent challenge, speeding up and shifting into fifth gear. Pushing 80 in a 50 MPH zone was the worst thing Tori had ever done in her life, law-breaking wise, and it was horrifying.

Jade and Kevin lived out in the country, so the roads to the city were basically empty, no cars, no police. So she let loose and drove as fast as she pleased.

Much to Jade's amusement, and Tori's dismay, they soon passed Kevin's truck as if it was standing still.

**Tori's POV**

I had no idea how fast we were going at this point, this was just crazy. I looked over to Jade, aviators on, black hair blowing behind her from the wind, yet she looked focused, confident. I felt like I could trust her to get me there in one piece, despite her erratic driving.

As sounds of '_Walk on Water_'_ by Aerosmith_ blared from the speakers, I thought about Jade, her characteristics, apparent likes and dislikes. _I could get used to this girl. She'd probably be a pain, but she has potential to be really cool. Well, she already is, but nice cool._

Once we got to the city, Jade stopped driving like a maniac and heart attack inducing. At a red light she ran her fingers through her hair to fix it a bit, odd thing was, I even found that simple thing sexy.

"Problem?" _Chizz._

"Uh…No, just, I've never been to Pierce. What is it?" Lame excuse. Though I honestly didn't know what it was.

"Bar. Unless you're under 21…"

"22," I stated.

"Ever even had a drink?" She asked as she continued driving.

I laughed nervously, "Nope..."

"Ben, whadya think for the new kid here?" Jade asked Ben.

"How 'bout some straight Bourbon shots then chill out with Vodka on the rocks?" Ben suggested.

"Whoa now. Don't I get a say in this?" I cut in.

"I suppose so," Jade sighed, a little too dramatically.

Finally we arrived at this white brick building accented with green spotlights. A big neon green sign above the club reading '_Pierce'_ had two spot lights on either side aimed towards the sky.

We parked and walked towards the entrance, "Get your ID out," Jade told me.

"West! Good to see you again, you guys playin' tonight?" The rather large bouncer greeted Jade. _So her last name is West, interesting._

"Nah, here to max Ben's card. Celebrating the new member," she said, pushing me forward.

"Congrats on getting in the band, kid. Was surprised when they let Brad in, Jade probably sees a lot of potential in you to even consider, but I guess age is just a number to her. But anyway, ID please?" He said, holding out his hand. I gave it to him and he looked it over before handing it back. Jade took it and looked at it curiously.

"Vega, huh," she said without looking up. "Yep," I confirmed.

Just then Kevin pulled in, he and Brad came up to the door, greeting the bouncer.

"Hey Dean!" "'Sup man?"

"Hey guys, hear you got yourselves a new bandmate," Dean said, gesturing towards me.

"Sure did," Brad replied.

"You boys take care of her now, don't let her get into any trouble in there," he warned.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Why not Jade, too?"

They looked at me as if I had just asked the stupidest question of all time, before bursting out laughing. After finally composing himself, Dean assured me, "Jade here can hold her own, no need to worry about her."

She handed me back my license and said, "Let's go, I have scotch with my name on it."

**Jade's POV**

Once we were inside, I pulled Ben aside.

"Start her out with a lemon drop, once she's a little out of it give her the Vodka. After that she'd take the shots willingly," I told him. He was hesitant for a moment, so I added, "I'll watch her. Do you really think I'd let anything happen to her if I was the one who got her wasted?"

He thought for a moment, then nodded, and we went off to find the others. We ordered a lemon drop for Tori, and scotch for the rest of us, I simply told her that hers was a "sissy fruity drink."

She was a bit tipsy after that. _Lightweight._ I figured the Vodka would knock her out, so I waited a while for that one.

"Hey, Vega! You dance?" I shouted over the blasting music.

"Suree," she slurred. She was _really_ lightweight. Either that or that lemon drop was some potent shit.

Turns out she can dance, _against me._ Grinding against me to the rhythm of '_Headstrong,' _which was odd, but I definitely wasn't complaining. When she turned around, eyes full of lust, I found it very hard to keep my composure at that moment.

She slowly ran her fingers down my arm, grabbing onto my hand and leading me back to the bar where the guys were. Tori sat next to me while I ordered the Vodka on the rocks.

Kevin leaned over to me, "So much for the 'no double standard' huh?"

"I- I didn't.. She just- ugh. Sorry Kev"

"Hey, don't worry about it. You've been sulking around since Emma left, it's good to see you finally interested in someone again. Anything to get you out of that depressing rut,"Kevin told me sincerely. _Most of the time this guy is an ass, but he has his moments._

"Thanks bro, I'm not sure what's between us right now, her being drunk off her ass right now and all, I'm not getting my hopes up," I replied. He simply nodded in understanding and turned back to Ben.

Once Tori finished her Vodka she was _done_. I figured I should take her home. But where? I didn't know where she lived, she was probably too drunk to tell me too. _Shit. Looks like she's staying at our place._

Thankful that I'd been too busy to drink much tonight, I told the guys I was driving Vega home.

This time I drove a little more carefully, as to not irritate the inevitable headache. Of course the top was also up on the car.

Arriving home with an unconscious Tori, I was facing the dilemma of actually getting her into the house. Since Kevin's truck was gone, it was easy to open the passenger door all the way, so I was able to drag her out and carry her in, hitting a few walls on the way. _Oops._

Then a new problem, _where to put her?_

I sighed, I couldn't put her on the couch, 'cause she'd roll off and hurt herself. There also weren't any guest bedrooms, and she sure as hell wasn't sleeping with one of the guys. _My room. Yay. This is going to be bad._

Not-so-gently dropping her onto my bed, I returned my keys, wallet, and jacket to their respective places, and changed my clothes for bed. I figured it would be a wise idea to actually wear pants tonight.

I put her between myself and the wall so she wouldn't go anywhere, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

I was woken up by someone shaking me. I was pissed, the guys know to _never_ do this. I opened my eyes, prepared to kill someone, but nobody was standing next to my bed. The person was _in_ my bed. _Oh shit._

I turned around to see Vega looking confused and uncomfortable, probably attributed to the hangover and the fact she was in my bed. I just buried my head back in the pillow as I remembered the previous night's events.

"Jade, what happened last night?"

I turned over and grinned with a laugh, "You got piss drunk and passed out."

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**A/N: Oh geez, Tori, you really should control yourself, those lemon drops are some wicked drinks...**

**The place mentioned in this chapter, Pierce, is a real bar. The name has been slightly altered, along with the appearance, but the general gist of it is the same. So credit is where credit is due ;)**


	3. Taking Chances

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: I've written like 3-4 chapters ahead of what I've posted so far, so these may come out a bit faster over the next few days.**

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**Jade's POV**

"You've got to be kidding me." _Like I haven't heard that before._

I sighed as I got out of bed, "Nope. Was pretty entertaining too."

She groaned, probably an 'I can't believe this' groan.

"Come on, go clean yourself up. I'll take you home." I said gesturing to the door.

She gave me the stink eye as she got up and trotted to the bathroom. _Wow. Either she's a cut from a different cloth or really stupid. Nobody gives me that look._

I got dressed and headed out to the living room. I laid on the couch and played with the scissor keychain I had while I waited. _Waiting for centuries…_

Finally she came out to the living room, looking a little better. "Let's go," I said, getting off the couch.

I figured the guys could put two and two together and figure out I was taking Vega home, if they saw we were both gone, so no need to bother with a note.

I left the top up and drove a little slower, both at Tori's request. I rarely do what people ask of me, but it was the least I could do after getting her wasted last night.

After directing me to her place, an apartment complex just outside downtown LA, she stopped for a second. "When will I see you again?"

I thought it was odd that she didn't go plural in that question, to include the guys, but I just ignored it. "I'll text you later."

She started to leave then stopped again, "Wait, how did you get my number?"

"Copied it from your phone last night," I replied with a smirk.

She sighed and shook her head, finally getting out of the car. I made sure she got into the building before I left, this time driving as I pleased back home. Upon my arrival, I was overwhelmed with the scent of pancakes.

I made my way to the kitchen, grabbing the pancakes right off the spatula as Kevin was about to put them on the serving plate, "Thanks Kev." Kevin shook his head as Brad laughed.

"Told you she'd come back in time," Ben said. I laughed, of course I would, they were calling my name.

As I lounged on the couch, dining on my pancakes, Ben asked, "So what happened with Tori?"

I laughed as I remembered last night and this morning, and retold the story. "I had no idea she was such a lightweight!" I finished, exasperated. I felt kind of bad, which was weird. I never feel bad for people.

"Maybe she should stick to those 'fruity sissy drinks'," Brad said.

"Definitely. That is, if she ever agrees to come back," Ben added.

"She was interested in seeing me again, so Pierce might be in the near future," I said as I finished my pancakes.

Kevin speed walked over to me, "Wait, she wanted to see _you_ again? _You_ specifically?"

"That's what she said when I dropped her off at her place."

"Ouch, that hurt my feelings," Brad muttered, clutching his chest over his heart.

Kevin gave me a really odd, excited hug, "Jadey's gettin' some!"

"Fuck's sake Kev! Boundary issues!"

"Oh right. That's _her_ territory now," he said with a wink.

"I'm going to kill you in your sleep," I snarled. Ignoring my irritation at Kevin, I spoke to Brad and Ben, "Still, I can't be all double standard with you guys. We already almost broke up once, I'm not gonna risk the band for a girl I just met…"

"Please tell me you're not being serious," Ben said. When I didn't say anything he continued, "There's so much sexual tension between you two that nobody can breathe around you guys."

I sighed, "Guys are being my love gurus? This is insanity. Just let me think about this, alright? I'll be back later. Kev, can I take your truck?"

"Yeah, no problem, be careful," he said as we exchanged keys. I nodded and left.

I was used to this route, I took it all the time when I needed to think. Nobody was ever up there cause nobody knew it existed.

As I passed the fake 'Yard Sale' sign I stole and moved, I slowed down, then saw the one tree with a small stripe of orange, and turned left. Winding my way up the mountain was always the hardest part. It was a hell of a lot easier when the ground was solid.

Eventually, I got to the top. I got out of the truck and looked around my favorite place. In the clearing was a huge swing, attached to a tree branch. The shooting range I often used to improve my aim, and the cabin. I made my way over to it, making sure everything was in order before going out the back door.

From the back door I could go through a small stretch of forest to a larger rocky cliff. I sighed and walked closer to the edge. Sitting down, I took in the view of downtown LA. As amazing as this view was during the day, it really shined at night time, literally.

I let my thoughts drift to what was currently troubling me. A certain girl who just happened to play her way into my life. I'm usually one for simplicity, and this wasn't that. But it was different in a good way.

Every person I've ever been with has been intimidated by me, I've always worn the pants, even if it was a guy I was dating. And even though I haven't given her any real tests, this girl doesn't seem intimidated by me at all. She was a challenge. I like that. This girl could be pretty cool.

I weighed my options.

_Stay away, keep the simple life, keep the walls up, and continue sulking around about a girl in fucking Chicago._

_Or take my chances, accept the challenge, let her through the walls, risk having someone new to depress over._

_If I was just going to be depressed either way…_

* * *

**Tori's POV**

"Trina I'm home!" She probably didn't care at all, but it was protocol to announce our arrival.

"Where the hell have you been?!" She yelled as she came out of her room.

"I got into a band and we went to Pierce to celebrate. I spent the night at their place."

"Wait, wait, wait. What band?" She asked as if my answer would determine the fate of the universe.

"Social Revolution," I answered.

"NOOO, NO, NO, NO! No way are you going to be in that band!" She screamed at me.

_Why is she freaking out so much?_ "Why?" I asked curiously.

"You've never heard of them before?" She asked in astonishment.

"No…?"

"Okay well, the guys of the band are supposedly super hot and awesome and their singer is just as good looking as them but she's also intimidating as fuck. Like all the regulars at Pierce, besides the ones she knows well, are scared of her," she explained.

"Jade?"

"Yeeees"

"She's not that bad," I said dismissively.

"Not that bad? Not that bad?! We're talking about the chick who does street races, gets in bar fights_ with guys_, beats pretty much anyone in a drinking contest, oh and did I mention she does drugs?" She said in an irritated tone.

_Drugs? That's a whole other story…_

"What kind of drugs?"

"Pot and coke are the only ones I've heard of, but who knows. Jade is one badass chick, dad would be so pissed if you got in with her." _Oh really now?_

I thought a moment, "I think I'll take my chances."

"Fine, but if she kills you, I'm going to kill her," she said overdramatically.

"I don't quite know why, but I trust her. Thanks though," I said as I walked to my room.

I laid on my bed, getting out my iPod and turning on my favorite playlist. Lying in bed looking up at the ceiling, I started to just think. I must've dozed off, because about an hour later I woke up to the sound of Trina screaming about something.

Ignoring her and lying back down, I closed my eyes and thought about a certain black-clad, confident, talented, apparently badass girl, without a care in the world. My mind once again went back to everything people have said about her.

"…_she drives like a maniac but couldn't crash if she tried"_

"…_But I guess age is just a number to her."_

"…_Jade here can hold her own, no need to worry about her." _

"…_Jade is one badass chick, dad would be so pissed if you got in with her"_

Amazing driver, age is just a number to her, she can hold her own against anybody in a bar, and dad would be pissed if she was in my life. His sheltered life has kept me safe, but that short time I was with the band, I felt _alive_. That feeling is so much better than feeling safe. Better yet, when I was with Jade, I felt _alive and safe_.

Just then I got a text from a number that wasn't in my contacts.

"_Pierce?"_

Speak of the devil and she shall appear…

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**A/N: Bit of filler here, some things that will be important to remember. As I said I'm a few chapters ahead on the writing, but I'm willing to make some adjustments if you guys give me any good ideas ;)**


	4. Figuring You Out

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: I'll start out this A/N with, I think this will be a two chapter day, since this one is just MOAR filler. That and the next one is already written. That aside, hope you enjoy this bit.**

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**Jade's POV**

After running Kevin's truck through the car wash, I drove back home. Kevin knows that place, it belonged to our grandfather a long time ago. He knows I go there when I need to be alone, only condition is I run the truck through the car wash before bringing it home.

I walk in the house and slam the door to announce my arrival, as always. I sat down on the couch leaning my head back and enjoying my few seconds of serenity.

_3…2…1…_

"Hey Jade! You feelin' better?" _Kevin always had my best interest at heart, he was just irritating at times._

"Yeah, thanks for letting me borrow the truck, really appreciate it," I said, giving him back the keys and receiving mine in return.

"No problem, you know you can any time," I nodded and he turned to leave. "One last thing, interested in an impromptu concert at Pierce?" _Fuck._

"Yeah, sure. I'll text Vega I guess. Should we bother teaching her for this one or just have her sit out this time?"

"Dunno, go get her and bring her back here. See how she adapts," Kevin said.

"Fine. You're paying for the gas though," I responded as I got up and left.

I sent Vega a quick text;

'_Pierce?'_

A minute or two later I got her response;

'_If you're Jade, sure.'_

I waited for a stoplight to text back;

'_The one and only. Be there in 10, be ready.'_

Unlike this morning, the streets around her complex were lined with people, of course all drooling at my car. I guessed a car like mine wasn't common around here. I was happy to see Vega waiting outside for me, so she just got in and I sped off like the cops were after me.

"Good to see you too, Jade," she muttered.

"I sincerely apologize. How do you do ma'am," I replied sarcastically.

She laughed and shook her head. I noticed she wasn't commenting on my speeding, which was a welcomed change.

"Kev said there's gonna be an impromptu concert tonight, just going to see if you can pick up our sound in time to join us tonight," I told her.

"Sounds good. You gonna get me wasted again tonight?"

I smirked, "I might."

Back at the house she used Brad's guitar, while I showed her what she needed to know on mine. She picked up the sound easily, adapting to the length and frequency of the chords as if she'd been practicing for weeks.

"I'm impressed, Vega. If you're up for it, I say you should be up there with us tonight," I said as I put my guitar down.

"I think that'd be awesome," she said with a smile.

"Come on then, we should get going," I said as I left the basement.

* * *

**Tori's POV**

I couldn't believe I was actually going to be in a concert, in front of a bunch of people. I followed her upstairs and decided I should wait in the living room, figuring she was going to her room to change.

About a minute later Kevin came out, "Hey Tor, heard Jade cleared you to perform tonight."

Surprisingly this was the first time I'd actually got a good look at him. He resembled Jade a lot, though he had dark brown hair, one of those short messy hair styles that still look good. His eyes were a faded green, almost mint.

"Yeah, seemed kind of impressed, I guess," I told him.

"She is impressed with you, never seen her show so much enthusiasm for anything," he said, walking over to lounge on the couch.

"That's enthusiasm?" I asked, puzzled.

"That's enthusiasm Jade style," he explained, "She's a bit…different."

"Different?" I asked, sitting down on the other couch.

"Pretty much emotionless, aside from negative things. I mean if she really loves something, there're exceptions, but for the most part. She lives for the moment, takes risks, no fear, confident, and an ego so big it can crush small cities. Don't let that fool you though, she's got her weaknesses, just got to figure them out," he said with a wink.

I pondered those things for a moment, but there was still one burning question, "How old is Jade anyway?"

"26, but before you and Brad joined, she was the baby of the band. Brad's 23, Ben's 29, I'm 28. Happy little family," he replied.

"I guess so. I've always been apprehensive about going to bars, just 'cause of my age and the fact I can be thrown as far as the eye can see."

He laughed, "No worries Tor, we won't let anythin' happen to ya, Jade especially. She viciously protects things she cares about."

I was appreciative of that, until the statement really sank in, "Wait, what?"

We were interrupted by Brad and Ben coming out into the living room.

"'Sup dudes!" Kevin greeted them.

I was really surprised I hadn't paid attention to what these guys looked like. I guess I focused too much on Jade.

Ben looked a lot like Logan Henderson, even down to the hairstyle. Brad was more boy-ish looking, with longer blonde hair and blue eyes.

Finally Jade came out to the living room, noticing Kevin and I close together, she gave him a questioning look. To which he responded with a look I didn't see, but Jade understood.

"Alright, we've got… 4 hours til we have to be there, what do you guys want to do?" Ben asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm taking Vega to the mall. She needs a bit of a makeover. Doesn't quite fit the part." Jade said, twirling her keychain on her finger.

She was right, I didn't know a concert was in order, so my jeans and blouse probably weren't ideal for the occasion. Especially when the rest were clad in jeans and leather jackets over t-shirts.

"Let's go, Vega," Jade said as the guys were getting ready to leave as well.

I swear, getting into a car as gorgeous as Jade's Mustang will never cease to be amazing. My awe must've been obvious, as Jade spoke up, "Sweet ride isn't it?"

"Yeah, how did you ever get enough money for a car like this? Aren't these like super expensive?"

She laughed as she pulled out of the driveway, "That's the good part, I only pay for the gas, and sometimes I don't even pay for that."

I was so confused, "What? How?"

She sighed and thought a moment, as if debating whether or not to tell me. "It's some kind of peace offering from my father, if he can even be called that. It's his way of apologizing for not being there for the 18 years I lived at home. I never directly accepted his apology but the car was nice."

"Wow...That's…Wow," I was honestly lost for words. I had no idea how to respond to that. _A car in exchange for forgiveness for being a terrible father?_

"Kev and I just keep leading him on, keeping him thinking we'll forgive him one day. He's been supporting us for 6 years for fuck's sake," she said with a laugh.

"Odd. My dad's the exact opposite. Been sheltering me my entire life. Being in the car with you while you were speeding the other day, yeah, worst thing I'd done in my life," I muttered.

She smirked, "You need to get out, kid! Live a little!"

"Hell, you being in my life is the most living I've ever done," I said without thinking.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, "Well, let's just see what else I can do to show you how to live life free."

I just shook my head and laughed, while she continued to speed up on the empty country roads.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

After getting Vega properly decked out in the appropriate attire, I texted Kevin to let the guys know we'd be at Pierce.

When we arrived, I put the top on the car before locking it and walking to the door. I ran my fingers through my hair to calm some of the wind-blown mess as Dean greeted us by the front door.

"Yo, West! Hear you guys are on tonight!"

"I heard the same, even got new kid here all set to perform with us," I said, gesturing towards Tori.

"Awesome! Gonna be great to hear your sound. Anyway, Jade, Evan's in the back, just let him know you're here and he'll set everything up." Dean was my favorite of all the bouncers from the club, mostly because he respected me enough to not start fights with me every time I walked in the door.

I went to go exchange my usual banter with Evan before taking a seat at one of the high tables by the windows.

As Tori sat across from me, newly dressed, which looked awesome, she seemed to be lost in thought.

"What's on your mind?" I asked as I took a sip from my Pepsi.

She picked up an even more dramatic concentrated look, "I'm trying to figure you out."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Oh yeah? And what's your current synopsis?"

"That you're as easy to figure out as a 10,000 piece puzzle with no picture to go by," she grumbled.

I smirked, "That's the goal."

"Why though?"

"Not everybody has to go around with their life as an open book, you know." I responded defensively.

"Yeah, but I-" She was cut off by the guys stampeding into the bar and running over to us.

"Hey guys!" Brad said.

"Wow Tori, lookin' great. Jade done good." Kevin said.

I just rolled my eyes, "Come on, let's go get ready, we got a concert to do."

* * *

**A/N: Must admit, I do enjoy writing from Jade's POV a bit more than Tori's. If anyone was wondering why I usually wrote that way, there you go. So yeah, that's it for this bit of banter. Review and let me know how I'm doing with this story, always cool to get feedback.**


	5. We Have Guests

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Ooo-wee. Back again. Probably too soon but oh well. In this chapter you'll get a bit of a glimpse into Jade's history, so read on and enjoy.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I _knew_ Brad would be better on backup. He was doing a ton better, he sounded great. Front just isn't his forte, but Tori sure as hell rocked that part.

Our band is like, if AC/DC and Halestorm produced musical offspring, if you can imagine such a thing. It really was hard to compromise all of our different styles of music into one band.

All in all, our impromptu concert was a huge success, and the bonus was nice, which Kevin spent his share immediately on drinks. I wasn't complaining, a nice shot of Bourbon is always good for the soul, probably not for a sore throat though.

After a hard night of partying until they kicked us out of Pierce, we hung out in the parking lot, sitting around Kevin's truck thinking about what to do.

Suddenly Tori's phone rang, and she engaged in a shouting match with whoever was on the other end, something about 'you're not my mother' and 'I don't have to do what you say.' She finally ended the call when she got too annoyed, with a "Goodbye Trina!" _Trina, huh?_

"Would you guys mind if I crashed on your couch tonight?" She asked desperately.

"'Course, what's the deal with 'Trina' there?" Kevin replied.

"My sister, I live with her and she thinks she can boss me around just because she's older," she responded with an irritated groan.

"Dude, you should live with us!" Brad said. _Oh for the love of god._

"Really? I don't want to be a burden or anything."

"It's fine with me, as long as you pay your share and don't _act_ like a burden," Kevin said. _This is not happening._

"Yeah, it's fine with me too. Uh…Jade?" _Way to put me on the spot, fucker._

I sighed, "Sure, whatever."

"Wait, if she's gonna be staying permanently, is she going to be on the couch all the time?" Brad asked.

"I don't think she should, but where else would she stay?" Ben added.

With a careful look towards me, and seeing all the twisted emotions I had at that moment, Kevin said, "I think we should figure that out later, it's been a long night and we should all get some sleep." _You're so great sometimes._

Kevin and I both share an amazingly useful characteristic, when need be, we can instantly sober up our minds enough to solve problems. Whether it be driving home after drinking, or getting into a serious situation while drunk.

The guys all immediately jumped in the truck, so Tori was stuck riding with me. I knew it wasn't going to be good. And I was right.

Just as I started to pull out of the goddamn parking spot, "You're not so thrilled about me staying there, are you?"

"Not particularly," I answered honestly as I made my way back to the road from the parking lot.

"Is there something I did?"

I sighed, I was losing what little patience I had left, "Yeah."

"What though?"

_Snap._ "Look Tori, I already told you, not everybody walks around with their life as an open book. I have my reasons, and currently, those reasons don't concern you. So let it go."

It was silent in the car after that, the only sounds being my furious gear shifting and revving of the engine. When we got back, I left the car without a word, I didn't want to talk to anybody. I walked straight past Brad and Kevin, and into my room.

I returned everything from my pockets to their respective places before quickly changing clothes and crawling into bed. The drunken stupor was coming back, and I needed to sleep.

In the morning I woke up in the oh-so-wonderful state of a hangover. I tried to remember if the night was even worth this shit, then I remembered.

_Good god._

I threw on some pants and a hoodie before walking out into the living room, which connects to the kitchen. Ben was making scrambled eggs and bacon. Brad was apparently still asleep, Tori was sitting on the couch watching TV. Kevin was sitting on the far left side of the other couch.

I decided to be lazy and went to go lay down in Kevin's lap, I do it all the time.

"Good morning to you too," he said. I just grumbled in reply.

After a good 10 minutes of semi-comfortable lounging, I sat up and laid down at the other end, so I could actually see the room.

"What day is it anyway?" I asked.

"You must've gotten really trashed last night. It's Saturday." Kevin replied.

"Wooo, so I can do it again tonight," I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

"You're somethin' else kiddo," he laughed.

"I try," I said as I got up to go get my breakfast. I thought I heard Kevin and Tori whispering behind me, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

I quickly ate my breakfast, I was starving. After a compliment to the chef, I went to go get changed.

I ran into Kevin in the hallway, who was already dressed for the day, he was just in his pajamas a minute ago.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"Taking Tori to get some of her stuff from her place," he said cautiously. _Weird. Usually taking her places was my job._

I just nodded and continued on to my room.

* * *

**Tori's POV**

Just as Jade was out of earshot, Kevin leaned over to whisper to me, "Don't think much of last night, I don't think she even remembers it."

I had told him about her going off on me, which I probably deserved, and he told me it just happens.

"I don't want her to be hating me all the time though," I said in a quiet voice.

"Just let her be for a while, she'll cool down and things will be alright," he told me reassuringly.

"Thanks Kevin. Hey would you mind taking me over to my apartment to get some of my stuff?"

"Yeah, sure no problem. Let me just get dressed first." He said as he got up to go to his room.

After waiting a minute or two Kevin came back out, "Alrighty, let's get going."

Just as we were going out the door, I heard Jade's voice, "Hey Kev!" He stopped and turned around, as she came up to him, "Take the Mustang?" She asked, offering her keys.

A look I didn't quite understand passed between them and he just nodded, switching keys with her. Jade looked at me for a second, and I saw this lost and confused look I never thought I'd see on someone like her, who usually looked like they had control over the world.

Kevin and I left after that, it was odd being in the Mustang and driving at legal speed. I decided to push my luck a little bit, I was too curious, "Should I even ask?"

He sighed, "All Ben and Brad know, is all you need to know. Whenever she needs to be alone she goes somewhere and just needs my truck to get there."

I nodded in understanding and let it go. I quickly grabbed some necessities from my now old apartment, and drove back to the house, which I noticed was now empty of Jade and Kevin's truck.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I sat on the rocky cliff and just looked out on my smoggy hometown. In just a matter of a few days, my life has been so fucked up.

First there's this Tori chick, who just waltzes in and completely grabs all my attention. She confuses me so much, yet she's just what I want, what I need. She's a challenge, and that's what I've been missing.

But as confusing and irritating as those feelings are, they aren't the reason I'm sitting here on the rocky cliff side, silent tears streaking down my face.

'_Hey, I'm back in town for a while. Wanna get a drink sometime?'_

_Emma_

How does one even respond to something like this? Your girlfriend leaves you just because LA is a 'bad city.' I wasn't going to leave all my friends and family just because LA was a 'bad city,' and she refused to compromise.

When you're not even as important as the place you live in, you know your relationship isn't worth it. I got up, making my way back through the cabin, to the truck, and back down the mountain. As soon as I was on the road, I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

"Jade! It's so good to talk to you again!"

"Yeah, whatever, cut the crap Emma. What do you want."

"I just wanted to say hi, and apologize for leaving so abruptly."

I laughed, "You want to apologize 6 months after the fact. That's cute, tell me more lies."

"Look, Jade, I know you're upset about this but I know we can work this out…"

"Work this out? Are you out of your fucking mind? You left me to go live on the other side of the fucking country because you didn't like where we lived! If you cared about me at all you would've stayed! So don't go spewing your bullshit and lies on me, there is _nothing_ between us anymore. And there never will be. Goodbye."

I was pushing the truck to its limit now, I was known to speed faster when I was angry. And currently, I was _fuming._ The tears were flowing freely now, I was pissed beyond all logical reasoning, and I needed to get home.

Miraculously I got home without crashing the truck. I tried to compose myself a bit before going inside. It was just silent tears and burning rage now. But that anger was pain, and I knew it. That call was the closure I needed, but it didn't make it any easier.

Walking inside, I quickly found Kevin in the kitchen getting lunch ready. When he saw me he came rushing over, "Jade, what happened?"

I hugged him and buried my face in his shirt; he always was comforting to me. "She came back, Kev."

He hugged me back and sighed, "What'd she say?"

"She wanted to get a drink sometime," I said with a humorless laugh.

"And what'd you say?" He asked curiously as I pulled away to recompose myself a little more.

"Called her, she wanted to get back together," he raised a questioning eyebrow at that, "I told her she's out of her fucking mind, and there would never be an _'us'_ again."

He gave me a one-armed hug as he continued making lunch, "You tell 'em. She's not good enough for a West." I just laughed and shook my head at his common saying.

"So what're your plans now?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I'm going to Pierce tonight. After that, whatever life has in store."

* * *

**A/N: Always gotta love that person who won't stay in the past, eh? Jade'll set 'em straight though. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will be back soon with more...**


	6. Inner Turmoil

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Jade's past is coming back to haunt her, what _does_ life have in store for her? Bit of an emotional one here, not a total tearjerker but some looks at how the girls feel, with Kevin as always the middleman.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"Hey Vega, you coming tonight?" I asked as I lazily collapsed onto the couch.

"Uh, yeah sure. There's not a concert tonight, right?"

"Shouldn't be," I said as I counted my money to make sure I had enough to last me the night.

"Okay. When are we leaving?" She asked as she got up to go change.

I laughed, _test time._ "Well, Kevin's gonna be leaving later, 'round 10 and going straight there. I, on the other hand, am going to go…drive around a bit. Take your pick."

She thought for only a second or two, "When are you leaving?"

I smirked, "15 minutes."

At about 8 we were on the road to one of my favorite places, up there with Pierce and the mountain. Tori seemed to be enjoying my driving as of late, the adrenaline rush finally getting to her I guess.

In no time we arrived there, the race track. I pulled up to the booth and of course they knew me by name. I come here quite often.

I got out of the car to go into the tiny building that handles all the details of the track, paying for it and the helmets and such. I paid for us, and ended up being in a race with a Camaro ZL1. This was going to be good.

I went back out to my car, "Gonna be racing a Camaro," I told Tori.

"You mean that?" She asked, pointing to a white Camaro driving into the race track.

"I believe so."

Sitting at the starting line, Tori was silent, knowing I needed to focus, which was great. I switched straight to sixth gear and released the emergency break as the light began to count down. On green I was careful but still quick to slam on the accelerator, as to not sit there and spin my tires, like the Camaro did.

I was easily 2 seconds ahead of him before he finally got his car going. I only bothered to downshift to 5th to turn corners, quickly speeding up to span the next long stretch of the race. I turned the last corner and flipped back to 6th; fully accelerating and pushing 160 by the time I crossed the finish line. I got myself stopped and looked over to Tori, who had this goofy smile on her face.

"Whoa…"

"Welcome to my life."

* * *

**Tori's POV**

Later on, after some more speeding through the country roads, we were at Pierce, talking with friends, dancing, drinking, having a good time. Jade actually got more trashed than I did that night, so Kevin told me to drive home, he'd deal with her raging in the morning.

My dad had taught me how to drive a stick if I ever got into a situation where I had to, like this one. I'd never driven anything as cool, or as powerful as a Mustang, especially one like this, and it felt _awesome._ I understand now why Jade likes to drive so fast, you just can't help it when so much power is at your disposal.

Getting Jade to actually sit in the passenger seat was quite the task though, her constant 'no I want to drive!' protests were irritating. When we got back Kevin just carried her inside and dumped her on her bed to sleep until she was sober.

I went to the living room to deposit myself onto the couch to sleep. I never sleep well on this couch, but it's a hundred times better than living with my sister and dealing with her constant yelling and bossing me around.

After about 4:30 I gave up on sleep, so I decided to play some games on my iPod. A while later I saw Kevin slowly mope out of his room. He looked up and saw me. "Couldn't sleep either?"

I put my iPod away, "Too much on my mind I guess."

He settled down on the other couch, "What's on your mind?"

I thought for a moment, trying to figure out an appropriate response to that question.

"Jade?" He guessed.

"Yeah, she could be one of the things."

"Still tryna figure her out?"

"Kind of."

"There's nothing that I could tell you that Jade wouldn't kill me over, but trust me on this, if she wants you in her life, she'll let you in. You'd know otherwise."

"She took me to the race track with her yesterday before we left for Pierce, she was driving so fast but was completely unperturbed. She always seems like she has control over the world, I don't know, she just fascinates me."

"Hah, in her mind she does have control over the world. When things don't go her way it's like the apocalypse. It's almost been her demise before. I don't know what your intentions are, but just promise me you won't hurt her."

"Never on purpose. But what do you mean it's almost been her demise?"

"Nothing, she'll tell you if she wants you to know. But I do have one question."

_Oh please don't be the question I think it is._ "Sure, what is it?"

"Exactly what kind of relationship are you looking for from my sister?" _Damn._

"That's a good question."

* * *

**Jade's POV**

_Fuck this. I hate mornings. I'm making a petition to just cut mornings out of the days. Then afternoons will just replace mornings…Dammit. Fuck it all._

I slowly dragged myself out of bed and grabbed some clothes before going to the bathroom to take a shower. Now _this_ was a hangover. I finished up in the shower and brushed my teeth twice to get that horrid aftertaste out.

I got dressed and headed out to see if anyone had made breakfast yet. I think it was Brad's turn. I saw that Ben and Kevin were taking up an entire couch so my only option was the one with Tori. I laid down and casually put my feet in her lap as if it was the most normal thing in the world, because it was for me.

"You know I'm not a footstool, Jade," Tori said. _Here we go._

"Yes you are."

"No, I don't believe I am."

"You are currently being used as one, therefore you are one. Your argument is invalid, now be quiet."

Kevin and Ben were trying to stifle their laughter, because this had happened to both of them before, and Tori just looked confused. I leaned my head back and basked in my triumph. But not for long.

"You know… Jade has really ticklish feet…" Kevin said.

"Kevin I will kill you," I grumbled.

He looked to Tori, then moved his hand as if he was going to tickle my feet, so I quickly pulled back my legs and glared at him. "You're awful."

Tori just watched the exchange with a curious look, "I feel like I'm going to get caught in the crossfire any moment now."

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't be here when she kills me," Kevin laughed.

"Alrighty then, I'll be in the basement. Hey Brad, can I use your guitar?" Tori asked while I continued my staring match with Kevin

"Sure, no prob."

I shook my head, "I'll kill you later," I said as I got up to go get some aspirin. I soon heard the sounds of an electric guitar coming from the basement, at first just some random chords, then the melody of _'Skies on Fire'_ by _Aerosmith_. I decided I'd go crash the party, and went downstairs.

"Hey Vega!" I shouted as I got to the bottom and saw her on one of the chairs.

She was startled for a second, "Oh, hey Jade. What's up?"

I grabbed my guitar, a black GRG miKro, another gift from dear old dad, and thought for a moment. I had a new set of chords come to mind, so I just played them to see how they sounded. Tori noticed my freestyle playing and started to write down what I played if it sounded good.

We went back and forth, adding and erasing parts of the music until we had put together a decent sounding dual guitar tune for a new song.

"Wow guys, this sounds great!" Ben said as Tori and I demonstrated the parts of the song we put together.

"Yeah, you two work well together," Kevin said.

Ignoring his comment, I asked him, "Do you think you could work out the beat for it?"

"No problem, should be easy with a song as _fantastic_ as this," he replied. _His compliments are so cheesy._

"Hey, how about you two go and get dinner? Our treat," he added.

"Fine with me, we bringin' back anything?" I asked, and of course got swamped with orders, which I then refused to comply with unless they were written down.

Tori and I left after that, heading out to… "Where are we even going?"

She looked at the paper, "Looks like Chinese food."

"Ah, I know where. Hey I heard you drove my car. While I was in it no less," I said nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry about that, Kevin told me you were too drunk to drive and told me to do it."

I laughed, "You kiddin'? Most people wouldn't even think of touching my car, regardless if Kevin said it was okay. You drove it, and you were speeding as fast as I do!"

"It was pretty fun, I see why you do it so often," she replied.

"Damn right it's fun. That's what life's about."

"So my sister told me some things about you, that she heard from god knows where. I just wanted to know if any of it was true?" She asked hesitantly, not really afraid, just cautious.

"And what has your sister heard about me?"

"She told me, street races, bar fights with dudes, champ at drinking contests, and drugs."

I laughed, "All of that was true at some point, but the bar fights aren't gender specific, I'm an equal-opportunity ass-kicker. And I don't do drugs anymore. But everything else, she's right."

"When did you quit?"

"Umm…Approximately 4 months ago. Don't know for sure, I've slept since then." Vague answer, it was supposed to be.

She thought for a moment, "Why?"

_Shit. Can't let her in. Can't get hurt again. But maybe I need to. No. I don't need anybody. _I sighed, "I'd rather not talk about that right now."

She quickly nodded in understanding and let the topic drop, much to my relief.

It was silent in the car after that, both of us had too much shit to think about. I stopped at the drive-thru Chinese place and we headed home.

I just dropped the food off in the kitchen and went to my room. I didn't bother getting myself anything, I knew I wouldn't eat it.

My mind was engaged in a civil war, one half wanting to let Tori in, the other half wanting to just build the walls higher, so nobody could ever hurt me again. Somewhere in my depressing stupor, I didn't notice Kevin come into my room.

"Hey, kiddo? You alright?"

"No, not really."

He shut the door and sat on the edge of my bed, "What's the matter?"

"I can't trust anybody anymore. Not after her. And no matter how badly I want to let someone in…It just can't happen." Kevin is the only person currently that I would ever say things like this to. Nobody else is ever going to see me weak.

"If you're referring to who I think you're referring to, I honestly think you can trust her. She wants you to let her in, she wants you to trust her. She won't hurt you."

I let his words sink in for a moment, "I just don't know. The last time I put my trust into someone… Well you know."

"Believe me, I do know. I almost lost you; you know that'd be a fate worse than death for me. If I didn't honestly think you could trust Tori, I wouldn't be saying you could. I think she's what you need."

"Maybe you're right. Thanks Kev."

"Love you, kiddo. You know I'm always here for you."

"I know, love you too."

I just laid in bed after that, listening to the muffled sounds of the guys and occasionally Tori out in the living room. Kevin's words really got to me, I just hope they were true.

A little while later, he knocked on my door again. "Hey, we're going to go over to Josh's house for a party, Tori's staying here, you want to go?"

I got out of bed and grabbed my keys, holding them out to him, "No, but switch me?"

* * *

**A/N: So Jade's planning a bit of a night trip to her secluded hideout... One can only guess how such a thing turns out. Review and let me know your thoughts...More reviews = faster update ;)**


	7. On Top of the World

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: In the last chapter we ended with Jade implying a trip to her escape. Here's that turnout.**

* * *

Jade's POV

Soon after the guys left, ecstatic that they were riding in the Mustang, I left my room and went to the living room. Tori was laying on the couch, apparently texting and watching TV.

"Busy?" I asked as I put on my jacket.

"No, why?"

"Come with me." I wrote a short note that Kevin could understand. _'Took Vega'_ _I can't believe I'm doing this._

She grabbed a jacket and went with me, hopping into the passenger seat of the truck. I put a 6-pack of Sam Adams in between us, for emergencies, you know. She had a curious look on her face but didn't ask questions.

"I'm gonna take you somewhere, and I'm going to trust you to not remember how to get here, and never come back without me. Only Kevin and I know about this place now, it belonged to our grandfather, but he passed a few years back. He knew it was our favorite place, so it was given to us."

"Kevin told me that you had a place that you go to when you need to be alone, and you have to take his truck to get there, same place?" she asked

"Yep."

"Not that I'm not happy about it, but why are you taking me there?"

That was a good question. _Why was I?_ "Reasons."

I followed the usual steps to get to the mountain, and slowly wound my way up it. At the top I motioned for Tori to get out. I brought the 6-pack into the cabin while she looked around in awe.

"This place is so cool…"

It was dark, of course, so it was hard to see most things on this side of the cabin. "You haven't seen anything yet. Come on."

I led her out to the back, and toward the rocky cliff. Down below were the bright lights of downtown LA, now lighting up the night sky like stars.

"Wow…"

"Pretty cool, huh."

"It's amazing," the look on her face was like a kid on Christmas morning getting exactly what they asked for.

"So I've been telling you a lot of vague answers lately, and I thought I should clear some things up," I started, still looking down at the lights.

"Like what?" She asked curiously.

"Well for one, the drug thing. I'd only been doing them for about 2 months to deal with pain, when I realized that was just a stupid and futile thing to do, I managed to get myself clean."

"What was so painful?"

_This was the moment, the moment where I let her in or block her out. _

She grabbed onto my hand, "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay."

_Oops, hear that? Yep, that was the sound of the last of my walls breaking._

I closed my eyes and sighed.

"My girlfriend left me, to go live in Chicago. Said she didn't like LA." I opened my eyes to see a mixture of sadness, anger, and concern etched in her features.

"Is that what you were talking about the other day with Kevin?"

_She saw that? Shit._ "Yeah."

She seemed to be clenching her jaw really hard, as if to hold back an inevitable rant if she let it go. I was curious to see what kind of anger this girl could possibly have in her, "If you have something to say, go ahead."

"How could she just leave you like that? Because she didn't like the city? Who cares? The city you live in shouldn't fucking matter! It was so stupid of her to leave a great city like LA, even worse, it was completely ludicrous for her to leave someone as amazing as you, for any reason!"

_Damn, she's got some fire in her. But wait, me? Amazing?_ "Are you kidding? I'm the poster child of what no parent wants their kid to come home with," I said with a laugh.

"That's the good part. I don't care about that. My dad's sheltered life has always made me feel safe, which is great and all, but I actually feel _alive_ when I'm with you guys. And with you, I have both."

"You feel safe with me?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think I wouldn't hurt you?"

"Why should I think you would?"

"I brought you to a rocky cliff that's at least a 50ft drop. Not suspicious?"

"You wouldn't hurt me," she said confidently.

"Wow, most people think that pain is imminent in my presence. Yet you never back down from me. Why is that?"

She stepped right up to me, "You haven't killed me so far, hell you've taken care of me, and I'm standing right in front of you next to a rocky cliff with at least a 50ft drop and you've done nothing. I don't doubt that other people scream and run when you come near or turn to ash when you glare at them. But I'm not other people."

My eyebrows rose in surprise at her speech, she was completely right. "Okay, I give up. You got me. I wouldn't hurt you. But what exactly are you getting at here?"

"I'm saying that I love your style, the way you live, and I want to be a part of your life."_ Interesting._

"On one condition."

"What?"

"You've gotta be able to live life in the fast lane," I said with a smirk.

"And what exactly does that mean?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"Live for the moment, take risks, take chances, and don't fear anything because life is too short for that. Above all, have fun, 'cause you may be dead tomorrow." _Take your own damn advice, West… You could be dead tomorrow, quit stressing over a girl who doesn't matter anymore. Focus on the one who does, standing right in front of you._

"Okay…Live for the moment, take risks and chances, don't fear anything," she muttered as she put her hand on my cheek and leaned in closer, "And have fun…"

_Oh shit. I don't think it's healthy for a heart to beat this fast._ I put my hands on her waist and whispered, "Yeah…" _Hell I could be dead tomorrow at this rate, oh well, live for the moment._

I kissed her and _holy shit._ It was like getting hooked on drugs all over again, I just couldn't get enough. I'd never experienced anything so addictive in my life, she was like oxygen to me now.

After what seemed like a blissful eternity she pulled away, "That's a yes to your condition, by the way."

"Glad to have you along for the ride."

I went to go get the 6-pack after that, we sat down close to the edge and watch the lights below, polishing off one beer after another. We tried pointing out signs amongst the bright lights below, but the blurred vision accompanied by the smog made it difficult to see.

After we finished off 3 beers each, well, 3 and half of Tori's 3rd for me, we went back inside the cabin. The electricity was long since turned off so we relied on our phones for light. There was no way I was going to try to drive down a mountain after downing three and a half beers, so I'd wait out the haze for a bit.

I collapsed onto the couch, Tori soon falling partially on top of me and quickly falling asleep. I thought about that night's events, and about the girl currently using me as a pillow. I smiled as I remembered our banter the other day about me using her as a footstool.

Tori was such a lightweight I knew she wouldn't be able to walk to the truck under her own power, and even if she were to wake up she'd be so drunk she wouldn't even remember her own name. I decided we'd spend the night in the cabin.

I picked her up and took her to the only bedroom I ever bothered to clean. I didn't even try to get either of us under the blankets, just falling asleep in the simple peace of the cabin.

* * *

I woke up around the same time Tori was starting to stir. She sat up and evaluated the situation, "This is where you tell me I got piss drunk and passed out right?"

"Need to build up your alcohol tolerance," I said as I poked her stomach.

She just fell back down on the bed and groaned in annoyance. Then a softer groan when she realized the first one hurt her head more.

"Come on, let's get going before Kevin freaks out."

She very slowly got up out of bed and followed me out of the cabin and to the truck.

Back at home we both were able to walk in on our own power, and of course Kevin was right there.

"Where have you guys been?"

"Where do you think?" I said, I was irritated and wanted to sleep.

"Talk to me about it later?" He compromised.

"Yeah, sure."

Tori had walked past us and was now to the hallway, and Kevin asked, "Hey Tor, you wanna nap in my bed since the couches are taken up?"

She shook her head, "Nah, Jade's bed is fine."

"Wait whoa, who said you could stay in my bed?" I demanded.

She held up 3 fingers and counted through each of them, "I think this counts for, risks, chances, and no fear." And with a sassy eyebrow raise she disappeared into my room.

"Do I even want to know?" Kevin whispered to me.

"What have I gotten myself into…" I muttered as I walked to my room.

Tori was lying face down on my bed looking at something on her phone. I got changed and crawled in bed next to her.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked, laying my head down on the pillow.

"Pictures from our last concert"

"Are they any good?"

"If by that you mean 'do I look good in them,' then yes."

I laughed and playfully shoved her and got under the blankets. She put her phone away and relaxed next to me.

"So what does this make us?" She asked as she played with my hair.

"I don't know. What do you want to be?"

"I just want to be with you. But I guess if we were to put a name on it, being your girlfriend would be pretty cool."

I pondered the thought. _Do I really want to tie myself down to a relationship?_ One look to the girl laying next to me and I had my answer, "'Course we need to put a name on it, need to have something to call it when I yell at people." _Yes, it had to be an indirect answer._

She leaned over to kiss me before cuddling up to me to go to sleep.

_Being with this girl isn't half bad. I could get used to this._

* * *

**A/N: Oh the fluff. Tori's picking up on the fast life pretty well isn't she? As always, review and let me know your thoughts, I always enjoy reading reviews.**


	8. Ghosts from the Past

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Finally got the Jori in the last chapter. Here's a bit of aftermath and moving forward.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I woke up before Tori, stealthily sneaking out of bed and putting on some clothes before going out to the living room.

"Good morning!" Brad shouted from the far couch. Ben was next to him and greeted me next.

"Hey kid, you feelin' better?" Kevin asked from the other couch.

"Yeah, just needed to sleep it off," I said, running my fingers through my hair to fix it a bit.

He got up and led me to the kitchen, out of earshot from Ben and Brad, "So what exactly happened last night?"

I struggled to find the right words in my sleep clouded mind, finally settling with, "I may or may not have kissed Tori and cleared a 6-pack. In that order, mind you."

"So why the drinking…?"

"For all intents and purposes it was just a party with Sam," I clarified.

"What are you two then?"

"Girlfriends I guess if you were to put a name on it. We only care about just being together."

"About fuckin' time," he muttered. I raised a curious eyebrow and he continued, "You both have been stressing over each other since you met. Like I said, I like this one, but I think you're moving a bit fast. The fact you brought her to the one place that the world can't reach you says a lot, but maybe you should take it a bit slower. Less change to cope with in more of a time span, you know."

"I don't move slow, Kev. I'm not gonna sit back and waste time that I could spend with her. Already spent 6 months depressing over nothing, life's too short to be waiting around."

"Let her in then, move as fast as you can 'cause the world can't stop you," he said as he pointed to me with a reassuring smile. As he walked over to start making dinner I actually noticed the time. _18:25_. I went to go lie down on the couch and watch whatever was on TV. _Mythbusters_ was currently debunking a video of a car jumping over a lake. _Little crap car can't do that. Mine probably could._

After a few minutes I heard a voice behind me, "Were you gonna let me sleep all day?"

"Only if it would irritate you," I said without looking back.

She walked around to sit on the couch, and upon realizing I was taking up the entirety of it, she shrugged and laid on top of me.

"Do I look like a pillow to you?" I muttered.

"Yes.

"'Cause I don't think I am."

"You are currently being used as one, therefore you are one. Your argument is invalid, now be quiet." _Goddammit._ _This girl is going to be the death of me._

Brad and Ben exchanged looks of 'how long do you think she'll let her live?' and 'did she really just say that?' I heard Kevin laughing from the kitchen and I just groaned in annoyance.

"I hate you," I said as I wrapped my arms around her.

"I know."

After we finished dinner I asked Tori, "Hey when were you going to get the rest of your stuff from your old place?"

"I didn't really have anywhere to put it here, so I never brought any more than I needed."

"We'll find places, let's go get it," I said.

I told Kevin where we were going and as usual sped my way over to Tori's place. While she was up there she texted me and said her sister wasn't there right now, so I went up to help. Together we quickly got most of her stuff packed up and down into the car. I was sitting in the car sending a reply text to Evan about a concert when Tori was getting in the car, and I thought I saw a girl that looked kind of like her on the sidewalk, but didn't pay much mind to it.

With my usual disdain to the speed limit, I pulled away from the curb and sped down the street. We made it back without incident, which isn't unusual. All of us helped Tori unpack her stuff and find places for it, most going in my room.

We all decided to go get a drink from Pierce, hang out, and talk to some friends. We weren't planning on getting too trashed tonight.

Tori, Kevin and I were sitting around a high table laughing about some joke Brad told, who was next to us with Ben.

"Yo, Jade! Go get me another drink!" Kevin said.

"Gimmie some money then!"

He gave me some money so I went over to the bar and got him another round of Sam Adams. On my way back, I heard the last voice I ever wanted to hear in my life.

"Jade!" _Kill me now. Actually, scratch that. Kill her now._

I ignored her and kept walking; of course the bitch followed me all the way to the tables our group was taking up. I handed Kevin his drink and said, "Brought a lost puppy."

He looked confused until he looked behind me, and his face contorted in anger. I sat down at the table, sipping my own drink and waited for the shit to hit the fan.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He yelled at her.

"I was just saying hi to Jade…" she said hesitantly.

Tori looked to me as if for confirmation that was who she thought it was; when I nodded she downed the rest of her drink and hopped down, stepping right in Emma's face.

"Go away, now," Tori said with a tone of authority.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Emma spat back.

I grinned as I took a sip from my drink, _you play with fire…_ "I'm the girl who's going to kick your ass if you don't get lost." _You get burned._

I knew that fire in her eyes was there, 'cause Emma quickly shrank back in fear, taking one last look at me before scampering away.

Kevin looked at Tori, and then looked at me like 'is that the same naïve girl we brought into the band a week ago?'

I just smirked as she casually turned around and sat back down. She looked up and saw my amused face, "What?"

"Nothing, you're just sexy when you're all assertive," I said nonchalantly, taking a sip from my drink.

She laughed, "What can I say? You're rubbing off on me."

* * *

Later on we were hanging around the parking lot again, just sitting in Kevin's truck. I needed to go get something from my car, which was a few spots away. I was looking in my car for my wireless charger, seriously the best invention ever, and wouldn't you know it.

"Fancy meeting you again."

"For the love of god would you get lost!" I shouted, completely out of patience.

"I don't know who that chick you sent after me is, but you can't get rid of me that easily," she replied confidently. This bitch needed a reality check.

"That 'chick' is my girlfriend, for your information. And if I can't get rid of you by telling you to get out of my life I'll get a goddamn restraining order!"

As I turned away to close my car door she said, "Fine, I'll leave. But first," I turned back around with a sigh, and just as I did her lips were on mine.

I immediately backed up, "What the fuck!"

She shrugged with a triumphant grin and turned to walk away. _Oh the hell you will._ I grabbed her shoulder and turned her back around, landing a solid right hook on her jaw. _I don't do bitch slaps._

I stretched out my fingers a bit. _Her face is hard._ By now the rest had heard the commotion and ran over to see what happened. All they saw was me leaning against my car, inspecting my sore fingers. Oh, and the unconscious stalker at my feet.

Kevin sighed, "Jade please tell me you have some legal grounds to put this on."

"I'm sure sexual harassment and stalking are enough for a simple knockout, don't you think?"

"Damn. You sure do pack a mean punch." Brad muttered, looking down at the unconscious form of my ex.

"Exactly what kind of sexual harassment?" Kevin asked, stepping closer to me so the others wouldn't hear.

"Nothing horribly bad. Bitch kissed me so my fist kissed her jaw. Fair trade, I think."

"Guess so, should probably get out of here before she wakes up," Kevin said.

"Yeah…"

As if on cue, Emma started to wake up. "What the hell…?"

"I knocked your ass out. Now get out of my way or I'll run you over," I barked at her. She'd ruined my night enough.

She got up as quick as her hazy mind allowed and made her way back to where she thought her car was.

"Stupid bitch," I muttered as I got in my car. I started it up and put my phone on the car charger as Tori slid into the passenger seat.

"Are you okay?" She asked me quietly as I sped out of the parking lot.

I just laughed, "Her face is hard."

Back at home I was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on my door.

"Jade?" Kevin said.

"Yeah Kev?" I asked as I opened the door.

"What'd you want to do about Emma?" He asked cautiously.

I sighed and leaned on the door frame, "She's not worth paying any mind to. She'll be leaving to go back to Chicago soon anyway."

He nodded and said goodnight before leaving to go to his room for the night. I crawled into bed and tried to relax, until I realized I left the damn light on. I groaned in annoyance and was about to get up when it suddenly went out, "You know most people sleep without lights," Tori said as she got into bed beside me.

"Yeah, people who remember to turn off the goddamn light," I grumbled.

"Good thing you have me then, huh?"

I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer to me, "Yeah, real good thing."

* * *

**A/N: Ending in fluff again. This here's a bit of filler for what's to come. Review and let me know your thoughts, always love 'em.**

**Just a side note, the wireless chargers are real and are the best inventions ever**


	9. Locks

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Changed the rating and description of the story, didn't seem like either fit anymore. But anyway, filler/action-y-ish ****(cause that's definitely a word)**** chapter here. Also, finally writing in Kevin's POV! Enjoy...**

* * *

**Tori's POV**

The next day we were all sitting around the living room having a good time. Jade was playing different songs with the acoustic and Kevin was making beats on random things with his hands. The morning had been rather simple and eventless. Our fun was cut short though when we heard a knock on the door. The others exchanged confused looks, probably because they don't get many visitors around here.

Kevin got up and answered the door, "Uhh…Can I help you?"

"Officer Layfield, this is my partner, Officer Michaels. We're looking for Jadelyn West." _Oh god._

Jade got up and went over to the door. "What do you want?"

One of the officers spoke up, "Do you own a black 2014 Shelby GT500 Mustang convertible?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

I heard the distinct sound of handcuffs, so I got up and went over to the door. The LAPD were currently putting Jade in handcuffs and reciting her rights, despite her continuous protests.

"Just go with the fuzz, Jade. We'll figure this out," Kevin said over the crap the cops were saying.

After they left, Kevin slammed the door and punched it in frustration, "Dammit!"

"I guess somebody reported her finally?" Brad suggested.

"Yeah but who? She goes too damn fast to catch the license plate," Ben said.

Kevin was ignoring both of them, already dialing a number on his phone. I was confused, until he started speaking.

"Hey, Dad? I need help."

**Jade's POV**

_Fuckin' cops hijack me from my goddamn house while I'm on my down time. When can I ever get a damn break?_ I was currently sitting in a cell waiting for this dumbfuck to let me have my phone call. I knew Kevin would call dad, so I needed to call Kev.I just want to know who the fuck reported me.

Finally they let me out of my cell to make my call, I dialed home and he immediately picked up.

"Jade? I called Dad, he's gonna come bail you out."

"Thank god. I'm not spending the night in this shithole."

"There was one condition though…"_ Fuck's sake._

"What?"

"Forgiveness."_ Someone get me on the Maury Show; tell me this man isn't my dad._

"MY ASS!"

"Jade maybe it is time you forgave him, he really is sorry you know."

"Son of a… Fine. What am I supposed to do now then?"

"Just wait, we'll be there soon."

_This is insanity._

I hung up the phone and went back to my cell, continuously shaking the police officer's hand off my shoulder. _Never touch me._

After at least an hour of doing absolutely nothing, I heard some commotion, and Kevin and my father came in the door at the end of the room.

They let me out of my cell and led me down to where they were filling out the paperwork. After filling out all the legal crap, we left the police station. Standing outside on the sidewalk, my dad started to speak.

"Jadelyn, I know how terrible of a father I was to you, how I was never there for you, and I am so very sorry for that. I've tried so hard to make up for it in helping support you and your brother. But a few material objects and paying bills can't make up for 18 years of not having a father. I know my condition for this was that you forgive me, but you don'thave to."

I really thought about his words before I did anything, I knew he really meant them, and it was wrong of me to hold a grudge for so long. "I love you dad" I said as I gave him a hug.

"I love you too sweetheart."

Our moment was partially ruined when Kevin wrapped his arms around both of us in a humorous group hug. "Alright enough mushy stuff! What are we going to do about this? Finding out who reported me?" I asked as we walked to the car, I was happy to see they brought my Mustang.

"Well there are charges pressed against you, so we'll find out soon enough," my dad replied.

"What kind of charges?" Kevin asked.

"Assault and speeding are the ones that I noticed," he said with a pointed look at me.

"Emma," I snarled.

"She's probably got physical evidence of her claim, you've got nothing to back yours up, so far anyway," Kevin said.

"Where did this event occur? There may be security footage of the incident,"

"Was in the parking lot at Pierce. Right side if you're looking at it from the door. 'Round 1 in the morning, technically today."

"Alright, I'll see if I can't recover that footage."

Back at home I parked the Mustang in the garage and my dad went home as we headed inside, greeted by the smell of pancakes once more. _Welcome home present, huh?_

I walked in the kitchen and was handed a plate of pancakes by Tori, "Thanks," I said as I gave her a kiss.

Everyone but Kevin and Tori looked dumbfounded, I just ignored them and ate my pancakes. I like making scenes then ignoring what I caused. As I was just finishing my pancakes I heard Ben yell, "Jade!"

I quickly walked back into the kitchen, "What? Do you have more pancakes?"

"For the rest of us. But care to explain?" Ben said.

"What's there to explain? I like pancakes therefore I want to eat them."

"Not that! Why'd you kiss Tori?" _Ohhh. _

"'Cause I like her and she gave me pancakes?"

Ben's head fell down on the table in frustration while Brad was quietly laughing and Kevin was just watching the scene play out, Tori was smiling and shaking her head at my evasive answers.

"Kevin, your sister is going to be the reason for my premature death," Ben muttered.

"I really don't understand what the problem here is," I said in a clueless manner.

"For the love of god. ARE YOU AND TORI DATING?" Patience snapped.

"Yeah why?"

"You are an evil, evil woman."

"Oh, why thank you." _What a wonderful compliment._

"I think it's time for all of us to go to bed," Kevin finally said.

"Yeah, thanks for the breakfast for dinner Tori," Brad said as he put his dishes away and left for his room.

I left for my room after that, quickly changing and collapsing into bed.

"Leaving the light on again?"

I laughed into the pillow, "I did it on purpose."

"Oh really?" She said as she changed her clothes.

"Did you really want to walk in here in the dark and trip and fall all over everything?"

"Not particularly..."

"You're welcome."

She turned off the light and climbed into bed, "Thank you."

_Wow, I haven't woken up with a hangover for a whole four days. Feels good. Even better feeling? Waking up next to Tori, another usual occurance that still makes me happy. Can this day get any better? Apparently..._

"Wooo! Friday!" Ben and Brad shouted as they ran out of their shared room and went to the kitchen. Fridays were a good day for us, the begining of the weekend, concerts, parties, drinking, more parties, more drinking, and a hell of a good time.

Tori woke up when she heard the shouting, and looked at me strangely.

"No, it's normal," I assured her. I reached over her and grabbed my phone to check my messages. I had one from Evan confirming a gig tonight, so we had more reason to celebrate.

"Who's that?" Tori asked curiously as she saw me get all excited over something on my phone.

"Evan, he's the talent manager over at Pierce, he takes care of all of the bands that perform there. Got a message confirming our gig tonight."

"Awesome!"

I got dressed and went out to tell the guys about the confirmation, of course they were stoked. Since we all woke up around noon we decided to pick up some burgers for lunch. I was the one who went to get them, 'cause obviously I'd be back quicker.

After we finished eating we were down in the basement practicing the new song we had just finished writing. I was teaching Brad the backup part while Tori practiced the main. In just a few short hours we had it down. We all made mistakes a few times, but otherwise quickly learned it.

Soon enough we were on our way to Pierce in our usual order vehicle wise, Tori and I in the Mustang, lightyears ahead of the guys in the truck.

"So what are you going to do about these charges pressed against you?" Tori suddenly asked.

"Don't know. Dad'll figure it out. I just know I'm gettin' me a police scanner. Keep the cops off my ass."

"So speeding's fine if you don't get caught."

"Precisely."

"Where have you been all my life?"

I laughed, "Waiting for a naïve girl like you to teach all this shit to."

"I wouldn't say that. More like, you showed me what there actually is in life. I've loved this little adventure so far, I can only hope there's more to it."

"More than you know, baby, more than you know."

**Kevin's POV**

Four hours later and $2000 richer we were celebrating with a round of shots, on the house. Talking with Ben and Brad, we were deciding our ideas of what to do with our shares of the money. Together we'd have $1200 so we were thinking around that range for something. An L shaped couch came to mind, we always wanted one of those.

In the middle of telling them about this one I saw, Brad tapped my shoulder and told me to turn around, and there they were, once again up against that wall making out. _Jade what have you done to that poor girl._

I knew Jade was out of it 'cause she had been a little too happy the last time we talked. Tori was taking the full force of that, and she was only too happy to oblige.

I knew at any moment they were just going to ditch us and go back home, probably regret it in the morning, being drunk the previous night and all. To prevent that, I took Jade's keys out of her jacket pocket and stuffed them in my pocket. _You're not gonna get any like this._

A while later I came back from the bathroom, and the guys were ready to go back home but couldn't find Jade or Tori. _How did she..._ I checked my pocket, _keys still there._ Then my eyes opened wide in shock at the realization. _She didn't._ I ran over to where my jacket was laying on the booth we had taken up.

_Keys gone._

_She did._

* * *

**A/N: Naughty... So the bad blood between the West father and his kids has been pretty much diminished, Jade's facing some trouble with the law, and the girls just stole Kevin's keys to sneak off. So yeah, smut next chapter? Give me some feedback, PM or reviews...**

**P.S. I do apologize if the names toward the police upset anyone, it just fit the story better. No offense intended.**


	10. Cloud Nine

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Did I really do this? Yeah, I really did this. It's probably awful, but I've had a rather shitty day and wrote this while I wasn't the one driving on a trip... Because of the response I got from the last chapter, here is your crappy smut (I'll try to write some better stuff later on). But enough babbling, on with the story!**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I leaned closer to Tori, "Wanna play a prank on the guys?"

"What'd ya have in mind?"

"Make 'em think we're totally trashed and gonna sneak out of here, then actually do it."

She thought about it a moment, "Alright, let's do it."

I started making out with Tori in full view of the guys, all part of the plan. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kevin take my keys from my jacket pocket, he was buying it. A few minutes after that Kevin left for the bathroom, and Brad and Ben were up talking to some girls, so I snuck over to Kevin's jacket and took his keys.

I smirked in triumph as we walked out, hopping in his truck and speeding off towards the mountain. Just as expected, I soon got a text from Kevin, raging at me for stealing his keys to sneak off. _Sorry Kev, too busy not doing what you think I'm doing to respond!_

I hadn't had much to drink that night, considering I'd been planning this all day, so I was able to easily encircle up the mountain. At the top we got out and headed into the cabin.

"So how pissed do you think Kevin is by now?" Tori asked as we got inside.

"By now? By now he would see we're not home and smoke would be coming out of his ears."

Before we went out to the back I grabbed a blanket from the bedroom and brought it out with us. I spread it out on the grassy area before the rocks, and we laid down to watch Pierce's spotlights trail their repeated patterns on the smog cloud of Los Angeles' atmosphere.

Tori suddenly spoke up, "You wanna know something?"

"Sure."

"I really wish Kevin's assumption wasn't wrong."

It took me a moment to actually process what she meant, but before I could, she was on top of me and her lips were on mine. Her addictive taste and feel completely wiping my mind clear of all coherent thoughts.

She quickly got rid of both of our shirts, throwing them to the side, soon followed by the bras. My mind was twisting itself in knots trying to keep up with her passionate kissing. I was completely wrong about the fact that I didn't need anybody.

_I needed her._

She was kissing down my neck, making her way slowly, too slowly_,_ to my chest. She sucked one nipple into her mouth as her hand kneaded my other breast. _Oh fuck__._ I uncontrollably let out a moan when her tongue touched my nipple. She traced circles around it, and alternated biting and sucking on it before switching to the other to repeat the same treatment.

I was breathing heavily as she released my breast and kissed down my stomach to my pants. She took off the belt first, throwing that onto the ever increasing pile of clothes, before adding my pants as well. She then went so far as to pull off my thong with her teeth, which aroused me to no end.

She was planting soft kisses along the inside of my leg, increasingly closer to my core. A few inches before she stopped, and I didn't feel anything for a few seconds. I was becoming frustrated at her hesitation, until I felt her warm tongue on my wet center, licking everywhere except where I really needed her.

"Fuck's sake Tori, stop teasing me," I panted.

"Say please." _This girl is sadistic._

"Pl-please," I stammered, and was rewarded with her tongue on my clit. I couldn't help but moan at the sudden jolt of pleasure that simple motion caused. I threaded my fingers through her hair and held her head against me just out of instinct. She was no stranger to this, that was for sure.

She was sucking away at my clit now, and I was moaning for the whole world to hear, though nobody but her actually could. I could feel the pressure building, ready to blow at any moment. Suddenly she slid two fingers inside me, working them in and out at an increasingly faster pace.

I groaned in pure ecstasy as the orgasm shot through me like electricity. My muscles clamped down on her fingers, hoping to keep them forever as the waves of pleasure kept hitting me.

When I finally slightly calmed down, she pulled her fingers out and laid down next to me. I instantly missed the feel of her being inside me.

"You taste nice," she said in a sultry voice as she finished licking her fingers clean of my juices.

I pulled her over to me for a slow and sensual kiss before getting between her legs. I stopped to kiss her again, and then moved straight to her breasts. I kissed her right nipple before circling my tongue around it and sucking it into my mouth. As I licked and sucked on her nipple, alternating between her breasts, I listened to her heavy breathing and occasional moans.

I finally left her breasts and pulled back to take off her jeans and panties. Once they were off I went straight to work with one deep lick through her pussy, followed by many more swipes across her clit.

"Inside," she moaned.

I was more than happy to oblige, inserting two fingers inside her. I could feel her gripping onto my fingers tighter and tighter as I worked them in and out. Her moaning was like music to my ears.

Suddenly she let out a loud groan as her body tensed up, my fingers were locked in place as she rode out her orgasm.

She finally relaxed and I was able to pull my fingers out and lay down next to her.

"Kevin's gonna kill us," she finally said, still sounding a bit winded.

"So worth it," I muttered.

"Definitely."

After a while of lying there, we started getting cold, and decided to move into the cabin. Settling down into bed, I just held her as I listened to her soft breathing, and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When I woke up in the morning, I was aware of two things. One, I was naked. Two, there was a naked girl on top of me. I smiled when I remembered the events of the previous night, just as she started to wake up.

"Why are you all smiley?" She asked sleepily.

"Cause I had fun last night."

"I'm still tired from that," she said with a yawn, laying her head back down on my chest.

"Do you want to go back to the house to sleep?"

"That'd be nice. This bed kinda sucks."

I laughed and got up to go find our clothes I threw somewhere on the floor. Finally locating them, we got dressed and headed out to the truck, and began the trek back home.

Upon arrival it was quiet; I opened the door from the garage to the house, and found the guys passed out on the couches. We stifled our laughter as we quietly made our way to my, well, our bedroom.

* * *

"JADE!" Kevin's voice abruptly jarred me out of my sleep; I sat up, looking as annoyed as I felt. _Can't you bother me when I'm at least rested? God, Kevin. Your timing is awful._

"Hey I think Kevin's awake," Tori giggled sleepily, still not bothering to get up.

I just sighed and got up to go face the angry mama bear.

"Yes, Kevin? Do you have a problem?" I asked nonchalantly as I walked out into the living room.

"Ugh. Jade you do know why I took your keys last night, don't you?"

I laughed, "Yep. I know exactly why you took my keys. That's why I tricked you into doing it."

"Wait-but you-Jade!" I couldn't help but laugh again at Kevin's level of frustration.

I went up to him and patted his shoulder, "Thanks for playing along though, last night was great," I added with a wink.

His mouth fell open in shock and I just walked away with a triumphant grin.

Just as I was about to open the door to my room, there was a knock on the front door. _Who the fuck is it now? The feds comin' to get me?_

Kevin, with the same look of confusion, went to go open the door.

"Can I…"

"I'm looking for my sister."

* * *

**A/N: Oh me oh my. Who on earth could possibly be at the door... Find out in the next chapter...**

**Reviews3 They're great.**


	11. Tattle-tale

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: So in the last chapter Jori got their sexy time. And here we are back again with the outside world...**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

_Looking for her sister? Who the hell could that be?_ I walked over to the door as Kevin turned around with a confused look on his face.

"Trina?" I guessed as I looked at a less-attractive version of Tori.

"Very observant. Where's my sister?" She spat at me. _Well then._

"She's sleeping, what do you want? And how did you know where we live?" I replied.

"That's not important. Just get Tori."

"Whatever." I mumbled as I went to my room to wake up Tori. "Hey, sleeping beauty, time to get up, your sister's here for some reason," I said as I exchanged my shorts for a pair of sweatpants.

"Wha? Why is Trina here?"

"Don't know. She's intent on finding you though."

With a heavy sigh Tori climbed out of bed and also put on a pair of sweatpants. I followed her back out into the living room to find out what her sister wanted.

Of course Kevin had invited her in, and she was sitting on _my _couch. _Bitch._ "What Trin?" Tori asked as we settled down on the other couch.

"What the hell? Why are you all friendly with _her_?" She asked in a snide tone of voice.

Tori looked at me before responding, "'Cause she's hot. What do you want?"

"Why did you move out? And to move _here_?"

"Because I wanted to, because you don't own me, and because I can. How did you even know I lived here?"

"I have sources." She responded simply.

Tori laughed, "Bullshit. Tell me the truth now."

"My friend happens to know Jade, and knows that Jade here has been taking you somewhere from Pierce most every night, and it hasn't been back to our apartment."

I raised a skeptical eyebrow but let Tori handle it for now, "I don't know who your 'friend' is, but where I stay is none of your business."

"I believe it should be. Because I can tell dad all about your girlfriend's run ins with the law. Sure he can't do anything about you, but he can do something about _her_," she finished with a pointed look towards me.

I was about ready to go off on this chick, but Kevin interrupted, "May I ask, what's your friend's name?" _Why would that matter?_

"Emma." She said, glaring at me. _Son of a motherfucking bitch_

"Oh and I'm guessing you're the one who sent the fuzz after Jade?" Kevin said with contempt.

"We did."

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Tori asked in disbelief.

"Because you completely ditched me for _her_," she said looking at me, and added, "And Jade here completely ditched Emma for _you_. Killing two birds with one stone here."

"You're unbelievable." Tori spat at her.

"I'm trying to protect you. I told you Jade is dangerous; I saw the way she drove off that day you moved all your stuff out of the apartment. She's crazy." _So that was Trina I saw that day..._

"Jade won't hurt me," Tori replied confidently.

"Really now? She punched out Emma because _she_ wanted a kiss. Jade was the one who kissed her, that's no reason to knock her out." Trina said partly to me.

I was enraged, about to get up to knock out this bitch if Tori hadn't held me down. "That's pure bullshit. Emma kissed Jade; it's probably on camera if they have them at Pierce. Her dad's trying to recover the footage anyway."

"Hah. As if. Even if that were true, she's still a psycho. You can't be hanging around these people doing god knows what," Trina said, making a point to look around with disgust.

"What I do is _not_ your business, and involving dad is just stupid and childish. Leave me alone and let me do what I want," Tori growled. _Damn, she really is sexy when she's all assertive._

"Whatever. I'll be seeing you in court anyway, _Jade_."

I almost got up and attacked her, _again_, and would've if Tori hadn't sat right in my lap, leaving me with no other option than to stay put. Kevin quickly showed her to the door, and she left without another word.

"Sure as hell is good we know a good lawyer…" Kevin said with a sigh.

"I'm fucked." I muttered.

"Don't worry; Dad will get you out of this mess."

"I'm going back to bed," I said as I looked to Tori, who took the hint and got up. She followed me to the bedroom where we both stripped out of our sweatpants and got back into bed.

Cuddling up to me, Tori sighed and said, "I'm really sorry about my sister…"

"Don't even worry about it. Shit happens, life goes on. Just sleep."

* * *

I woke up and looked over to my phone, _16:35._ _Slept all day. Great._

I sat up and stretched, glancing over to Tori, who was still out cold. I laid back down and closed my eyes, thinking about what I'd do with the remainder of the day. I grabbed my phone to check the day, as I often forget. _Saturday. Oh, right._ Suddenly, my phone was taken out of my hands and there was a girl on top of me, kissing me passionately. _Huh, coulda sworn there was a phone in my hands just a second ago._

When she finally pulled away for air, I muttered, "Good morning to you too."

She laughed and said, "Good morning."

She pulled away a little bit to look at me, and I looked back, studying her face intently. It wasn't too often I actually stopped to think about it. _She's a thousand times more beautiful than my car. And that's saying quite a lot._

"Damn. My car's got nothin' on you."

She grinned and said, "Oh really?"

I smirked, "Just barely."

She just shook her head and kissed me again. "So what're the plans for today?" She asked as she got up and started changing clothes.

"Don't know," I thought about it for a moment, "Actually, there's someone I have to go see, you can come along if you'd like."

"Oh?" She responded with curiosity.

As I was putting on my boots, I simply said, "My father."

"Finally cleared up things with him then?"

"Yep, for the most part. Have to go see him about the security footage from pierce, apparently they got something," I said as I looked through my phone and saw a text from my father.

_**Security footage does show the incident. I was able to recover it, if you'd like to stop by my office sometime today you can see it and confirm exactly what happened.**_

"Well, let's go then."

"You're fine with meeting my dad?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure. Why the hell not," she said with a nonchalant shrug.

We passed Ben on the way out; apparently Kevin was out at the store. We told him where we were going and approximately when we would be back.

Just like Ben said, Kevin's truck was absent from the garage. We got into my Mustang and I sped out of there, speeding as usual. _Because fuck the police._

I was driving with the top up today, not really interested in getting assaulted by wind. I figured now was as good a time as any to address the elephant in the room. "So what exactly was last night?"

I honestly had no idea how trashed she was at the time, that never really crossed my mind; _so was it nothing? Just drunk sex?_

"Depends, were you drunk?" She asked, looking over at me.

"I had one drink if you want to get technical," I replied.

"Well, then you weren't drunk, I wasn't drunk. You tell me."

I couldn't help but smile a little bit knowing that all of that was real, "Awesome."

Tori laughed, "It was."

We finally arrived at my father's office and headed inside. His secretary was sitting at the front desk, "Ah, good afternoon Jadelyn, here to see your father?"

I simply nodded and she gestured towards the back, but I knew the drill.

"Jade! It's good to see you," my father greeted me as I walked in, and Tori walked in behind me. "And this is…?"

I made myself comfortable on the couch in his office, pulling Tori on top of me as I said, "Tori, my girlfriend. So the tapes?"

He looked back and forth between Tori and I a few times, as if evaluating the situation. Eventually he shrugged and moved on, "Yes, I was able to get the footage from the security camera facing the right side of the Pierce parking lot."

He turned on his big TV on the far wall and played the tape, which clearly showed the incident.

I appeared from behind another car and went to mine, and started looking around in it, as you see Emma walk up to me. I stand up and yell at her, turn to close the car door, she kisses me, and I knock her out.

"Plain as day, she's got nothing against me," I said.

"Yes…But there are also copious amounts of footage showing you driving away at very illegal speeds. They could use that against you," my father pointed out.

Tori spoke up this time, "Assault is worse than speeding when it comes to penalties. If we can get Jade out of the assault charge, she'll be fine."

My father looked over to Tori, looking impressed, "You seem quite knowledgeable. How did you know that?"

She shrugged, "Dad's a cop."

He laughed, "How about that. Jade's father is a lawyer and yours is a cop. What is anybody thinking screwing with you two?"

I laughed with him, "True shit. Though her sister is apparently involved, and she's threatening to bring their dad into it, on her side. What should we do about that?"

He thought for a moment, "I'm going to go over these charges again, and figure out exactly what we're up against. I appreciate the information."

As we got up to leave, he went up to Tori, "It was nice to meet you, you be good to my daughter now."

She smiled and nodded, "I will."

Once we got in the car, I pulled out my phone to set it in the cup holder, as always. I checked it first, and saw a text from Kevin.

_**Heard you went to see Dad. Hope it went well. Planning on going to Pierce tonight if you're interested in joining.**_

I texted him back,

_**Sure thing. Tori and I will be there in an hour or so.**_

"Pierce?" I asked as I pulled out of the parking lot.

"Please."

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

Ben, Brad, and I were sitting at the bar waiting for the girls to show up. I was a little concerned, considering they went to see our father. Together. Meaning Tori met him. _Lord only knows how that went._

I was also still worried about them as a couple, with the events of the previous night and all. My sister's words this morning were very confusing; telling me that she was glad I played along because last night was great. _Played along? What the hell is she talking about?_

"Hey Kev," I heard Jade's voice, and saw her sit down on the stool next to me, Tori on her other side.

"Hey kiddo, how'd it go?"

"Surprisingly well. Got everything on tape, so I'm in the clear," she said, before ordering some drinks for herself and Tori.

Leaning closer to her, I asked, "So how exactly did I play along last night?"

She laughed, "Neither of us were drunk at all. But thanks for letting me uh, 'borrow' the truck."

_Good lord._ "No more details please."

She smirked and took a sip from her drink.

_Oh well. Least she's happy…_

* * *

**A/N: Poor Kevin. So that's it for this chapter, leave a review and let me know your thoughts.**


	12. Two Steps Forward

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: So I've been experimenting more with writing in Kevin's POV, just to show an outside opinion on things. Hopefully that'll clear up some things...**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I downed the rest of my drink and set the empty glass on the bar, "So what do you want to do tonight?" I asked Tori.

Tori thought for a moment, and then said, "I think I'm done for the night. Just feel like going home and watching a movie or something."

I nodded and found Kevin, telling him our plans before leaving Pierce to go back home.

Once we got home we went straight to our room, changing into more comfortable clothes and climbing into bed. We found a decent comedy/action movie to watch on one of the movie channels, but it eventually just became background noise.

With her slightly on top of me, we were soon engaged in a heated make out session. My heart was beating erratically and my breathing was heavy. I pulled away for a second and looked at her as her eyes opened.

Looking into those eyes I loved so much, I lost control of my voice, and it just slipped out, "I love you."

Her eyes opened wide for a second, and I was about to apologize, but was abruptly cut off by her kissing me. "I love you too."

I probably had the biggest, goofiest smile on my face as I switched our positions and got on top of her. We quickly got lost in a world of our own; completely forgetting the other even existed.

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

They finally kicked us out of Pierce, 'cause it eventually closes when it gets too late, and we had just arrived home. As soon as I opened the door from the garage into the house I heard Jade's voice, "Leave!" _Oh for fuck's sake._

I took the hint and closed the door, and we got back in the truck.

"What are we doin', Kevin?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, why aren't we going inside?" Brad added.

I thought for a moment for an appropriate response, "It's not really safe for us to be home right now. But hey, I heard Dave's throwin' a house party, probably still going on."

"Let's go then," Ben said.

We went over to our friend Dave's house, and he was indeed having a party. Dave was the former drummer of another band that plays at Pierce some days.

"Hey guys! Long time no see, eh?" Dave greeted us.

We were invited inside, and got ourselves some drinks before looking around to see what the party had to offer. We all managed to get a phone number, or two for Ben, from some girls, so it was a pretty successful night. Somewhere around 4 in the morning, when most everyone was passed out, I got a simple text from Jade.

_**It's safe.**_

_This girl is going to be the death of me._ Ignoring the excessive amounts irritation towards my sister, I got Ben and Brad out to the truck and we went home to collapse into our beds and sleep off the stupor.

* * *

I woke up around noon the next day and got dressed before heading out to the living room. _Of course I had to be the last one up. _

As soon as Jade saw me, she untangled herself from Tori and led me into the kitchen.

"I am really sorry about last night…" the genuine remorse in her voice made me stop her.

"Its fine, got to go see Dave anyway."

"That's really cool. How's he been?" She looked up and there was something in her features I couldn't quite decipher.

I got an idea, "He's been good, we all got some phone numbers too, and Ben got two." I figured she usually wouldn't give two shits about the second part.

But she _laughed, _and it was a real laugh. _Who is this girl and what has she done with my sister?_ "Is Ben gonna call both of them?" She asked, laughing again.

Ignoring her question, I thought about it for a moment, "Jade, if it actually has any significance, what happened last night? I've never seen you so happy." _Not even with Emma, before she left anyway…_

She looked back over to me and smiled, "I love her, Kev." _Well how's that for a curveball._

_It's great that someone is so important to her, and that there's someone that makes her so damn happy, but if Tori leaves… _"Just be careful, kiddo. I can't lose you," I said as I gave her a hug.

"I just think she's _it._ 'The one', you know?" _Shit, this girl must be pretty damn special to have Jade feelin' this way after everything people have done to her._

"Do what you think is right; you know I'll always be on your side."

"Thanks Kev, love you," she said as she pulled away.

I nodded, "Anytime, love you too."

* * *

**Jade's POV**

After my heart-to-heart with Kevin, I felt loads better. I already felt great before, but now I was really happy. We decided to go out for lunch, my treat, considering I was the one who kept the guys out all night. Of course, they had to decide on an expensive steakhouse. I wasn't complaining though, that food was damn good.

Afterwards we went to the racetrack, where we rented a second car for a 1 on 1 race. They actually had another car like mine, though it was the non-convertible model.

Kevin and I raced first, a close win for me; he was a good driver as well. I left my car and let Tori drive, and much to my amazement, she made Kevin eat the dust. She got out with a humble shrug as I laughed at Kevin's astonishment.

Next up Ben and Brad raced, I only ever let Ben drive my car, he's much more careful. It was a close tie between the two, so they did a best two out of three, Ben eventually getting two.

Tori and I took turns racing both Ben and Brad, both of us beating them easily.

Finally we had the main event, Tori and I.

The guys watched intently as we sat at the starting line. I had noticed a few races back, she was using my technique; just slightly slower on the accelerator. As the light hit green, we both sped off. We were right next to each other almost the entire time; last time I looked at the speedometer it read 180. As we crossed the finish line, I honestly had no idea who was first.

Once I got my car stopped, I drove back to the starting line and got out, meeting Tori over by the guys. "Got any idea who won that one?" I asked.

The guys looked at each other nervously, and Kevin spoke up, "I think Tori did…"

Though I knew it was a possibility, I was still surprised. I looked over to Tori, who also looked to be in disbelief. I laughed and wrapped my arm around her, "I taught you well."

"You taught me somethin' alright," she mumbled. I laughed at the innuendo that the guys obviously didn't catch.

"Hey Kev, what time is it?" I asked. He pulled his phone out of his pocket checked, "5:30"

"How about we pick up Taco Bell on the way home and have a movie marathon, you down?"

He thought about it for a moment, "Yeah, sounds good to me." The rest agreed as well and we got ready to leave. Ben took the car back to the rental area and hopped into the truck to go straight home, Tori and I went in the Mustang and picked up dinner on the way back.

After we finished eating, Tori and I changed into sweatpants and a hoodie for me and a tank top for her. The guys also changed into more comfortable clothes before we all settled down for our movie marathon.

4 movies and 8 hours later we were all passed out on the couches while _The Hangover_ played on the TV. I woke up around 9 in the morning, with Tori on top of me, completely out cold. The guys were strewn about on the other couch, it was quite comical. _Damn, can't believe we made Tori sleep on this couch, it's awful._

I managed to get up without waking Tori, and went over to the kitchen to start breakfast. As I was mixing the eggs I heard soft footsteps on the wood floor behind me. I turned around and uncontrollably smiled, "Good morning."

She rubbed her eyes sleepily and smiled back at me, "Morning."

When she got closer I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her. _This will never get old._

She jumped up on the counter and sat there as I finished up making breakfast. When I was done I put the eggs and sausage on serving plates, and of course, as soon as I turned around she pounced.

She had me pushed up against the counter, kissing me like there was no tomorrow. And that's how the guys found us a few minutes later, when the smell of food woke them up.

"Guys, really. You're in the way of the food." Brad said in an irritated voice.

We both stopped and laughed, "Sorry about that," Tori said, still laughing.

We moved out of the way of the food and moved our make out session to the bedroom. After about a half an hour, I heard my phone go off, the notification for a text. Then I heard Kevin's voice followed by the door slamming.

"Check your phone, Jade!"

Tori and I looked at each other in confusion, so I did as he asked. I had a text from him.

_**Going to look at couches, you got the house to yourselves for a few hours. Have fun.**_

I smirked and showed Tori, who also grinned.

"Shouldn't disobey," Tori said.

"Oh never. The man said have fun, and we shall..." I trailed off as I began to kiss her neck.

* * *

Needless to say, we did exactly what he said. Well, implied. When they got home they found Tori and I lying on the couch together watching an old CSI episode.

"Found one. Gonna deliver it tomorrow," Kevin told us.

"Cool," was the only word that came up in my still hazy mind.

"So what'd you guys do all day?" Brad asked, clueless as to what was going on.

Ben smacked his arm as Kevin said, "Don't ask."

Brad's mouth formed an 'O' as he realized.

Just then my phone went off, looking at the caller I.D.; I saw it was my dad, "What's up?"

"I think I have your answer. If you'll meet me in person, at my office is fine, I need to show you parts of these lawsuits. They seemed to have screwed themselves over…"

"That's brilliant! I'll be over there as soon as possible," I said before hanging up. I was ecstatic.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked.

"The bitch fucked herself!" I laughed with a huge grin.

Kevin laughed at my wording and said, "Clarify please?"

"They screwed themselves over with these lawsuits. They can't do shit to me without it biting them in the ass."

"How?" Tori asked.

I shrugged, "Don't know. Going to go over there now and take a look at it, coming with?"

"Yeah, sure."

We both got ready to leave before getting into the Mustang and going over to my father's office. Ignoring his secretary's existence, I went straight back to his office.

"Jade, Tori, I'm glad you're here," he shoved an opened folder towards us, across his desk, "Take a look at this. Nobody beyond the plaintiff and their lawyer, and the defendant with their lawyer are allowed in the court proceedings. _They_ issued that rule, thinking it only applied to you. But it applies to both parties. Basically meaning, even for personal reasons, Tori's father cannot be involved."

"Alright, so I'm in the clear. What about Jade?" Tori asked.

He exchanged that folder for another, "There are only 8 tapes _proving_ part of the lawsuit. Considering they don't keep the tapes for very long, and sometimes it doesn't catch the license plate and/or your face. That's only for reckless driving, there's no solid evidence of the speeding charges also being put against you, so nothing to worry about there. As for the assault, we've got proof of your innocence, acting in self-defense. All in all, you're looking at, at most $8000 in fines or 2 years in prison." _You're kidding, right. Tell me you're kidding._

"Where the hell am I going to get $8000? Goddammit," I mumbled in frustration.

"You must be forgetting the fact you have a father who has money falling from the sky. No way would I ever make you spend two years in prison because you're short on cash," my father said as he put the folders away and sat back down.

I sighed, "Dad I can't just turn to you whenever I need money…"

"Call it a loan. Pay me back, and for fuck's sake, get a job."

I laughed at his swearing and nodded, "Deal. I'll get a job and pay you back."

We said our goodbyes to my father and went back out to the car. As I was pulling out, Tori spoke up, "Are you actually going to get a job?"

"Hell, I'll be a damn bartender at Pierce. Ain't getting a real job, fuck that."

"A job's a job. You're gonna give me free drinks though, right?"

I smirked, "Maybe. Maybe I'll also put in somethin' real special, knock you out with some vodka or something."

"Well aren't you nice," she scoffed.

At a red light I leaned over and kissed her, effectively making up for my comment. _Still might do it though…_

* * *

**A/N: Longer chapter, but some advances in the story. Leave a review, let me know your thoughts.**

**Also, major kudos to ScottyBgood for pointing out my mistake in the previous chapter, the correction was much appreciated.**


	13. The Cards That Life Deals You

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Apologies for the late chapter, holidays and such. Here's some history and more...**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

Later on that night Tori and I were up on the mountain sharing a 6-pack, relaxing and taking a break from the worries of the rest of the world. Tori leaned her head on my shoulder as we looked out onto our city.

"I never thought this kind of life would be so amazing…" Tori said quietly.

I took a drink from my beer and told her, "It's like that just 'cause you live every day like it's your last. No waiting around, no depressing over stupid things, though I'm not one to talk."

"Speaking of which, will you tell me what happened?"

I sighed and closed my eyes, "It was exactly two months after she left, and I was doin' real bad. That night the guys left to go visit a friend, so I jumped at the chance," I finished off my beer and opened a third, "Took what was left of the aspirin we had, used to like to say it was 'unfortunately only a few.' Downed a can of 'Weiser with it, got in my car, and left."

I looked out into the distance, not really focusing on anything. I took a deep breath and continued, "I went for a drive, eventually ended up running a red light and got totaled by a minivan." I laughed, "My car was fuckin' destroyed. It was like getting hit by a goddamn train, the bitch had to be speeding. Thing is, as crazy as this sounds if, I hadn't gotten in that wreck, I'd probably be dead."

"Kevin must've been worried somethin' awful that night. Finding that empty bottle of pills and the can, not to mention my car being gone, he wouldn't let me out of his sight for days," I looked over to Tori, who seemed to be crying silently.

"I can't believe I almost lost the chance to have you in my life…" She whispered.

"Hell, I've never been one for that 'fate' crap, but maybe that's why I did survive. Subconsciously knew there was some extremely sexy and talented girl out there that would somehow be interested in me, that carefree, or careless, depending on who you are, no good, trouble making delinquent that every parent would flip shit over."

She laughed at my description of myself, "I'm very interested in you and all that you are, if my parents actually love me they'll accept that fact and get over their personal opinions."

"I really don't want to be the reason for you to be in fights with your parents all the time though…" I said.

She shook her head, "I won't even bother. They're supposed to love me unconditionally and always support me, not keep me away from someone I love just because they aren't exactly the model citizen."

"I'm still trying to get used to that," I mumbled.

"What?"

"The fact that someone besides a select few family members actually loves me."

"It's hard to believe that people wouldn't love you. You're amazing."

I set my beer down on the ground and leaned over to kiss her. I ran my fingers through her hair to hold her close to me as I savored that amazing taste of Sam Adams on her tongue.

"Hey, I wanna show you something," she mumbled as she managed to get away from me.

I groaned in annoyance, "Can't it wait?"

She simply shook her head in defiance, "Nope, let's go."

I got up with her and she led me back into the cabin, I was confused. _Had she broken her promise and come back here without me?_ I soon found myself in the clean bedroom, upon seeing nothing unusual or anything out of place; I turned around for an explanation.

It was only after she shoved me onto the bed and got on top of me did I realize, _I've been duped._

"Oh, that was a good one," I grumbled.

"Thank you," she replied with a sarcastic smile as she was working on taking off my pants.

* * *

We stumbled into the house around 5 in the morning, and immediately went to our room to sleep.

I woke up at about 3 in the afternoon and rolled over to see Tori changing for the day. Just to be playful and funny, I whistled at her, to which she turned around looking embarrassed. I laughed and got up, kissing her before grabbing some clothes to change as well.

As we walked out of our room we were laughing and exchanging playful hits, not at all acting our age, but we didn't care. We saw Ben and Brad sitting on the new couch, stretched out and taking up most of it. I went and sat down with my legs stretched out on the other one and Tori made herself comfortable on my lap.

"Where's Kev?" I asked the guys.

"Outside, Ryder came over, needed help with his car, oil change or somethin'." Brad answered.

I felt Tori stiffen up at the mention of Ryder's name, which I thought was weird, but just let it go and watched whatever was on TV. A few minutes later Kevin and Ryder came inside through the garage, they went straight to the kitchen without a single glance in our direction.

When they did look at us though, Kevin was unperturbed, but Ryder's eyes opened wide and he stopped dead in his tracks.

Ryder came over all the time and never was bothered when I had girls over, so I didn't understand why he was looking at me like that. But that's when I realized, _he wasn't looking at me._

"V-Vic?" Ryder stuttered when he finally found his voice.

"Ryder," Tori responded in a quiet voice.

"It's been so long…" He said.

"Not long enough," she said emotionlessly.

"Um, what's going on here?" Kevin asked awkwardly.

Ryder shook his head and walked over to the door, muttering, "I told you fate would bring us back together, at least I know where you are now," before walking out and slamming the door.

Tori turned around and hugged me tight, burying her face in my shirt as she started to break down. _What the fuck did Ryder do to Tori?_

"Hey, Ben, Brad, let's go get some food," Kevin said, obviously trying to get himself and the others out of the house, for Tori's sake.

They quickly left and Tori and I were left alone.

"What did Ryder do?" I asked her quietly.

She managed to calm her crying enough to talk and began to tell the story, "It was back in high school, our class had to pair up to write a song to perform at a concert the school was having. Ryder wooed me into being his partner and doing every bit of the work. He used me for a good grade; not only that, he was planning to dump me right after the concert. So to get back at him, I did a different song to embarrass him."

Tori composed herself a little more before trying to continue, "To get back at me, he outed me to the whole school. So I tried to get back at him again, by telling the whole school that _he_ was the reason I was gay. The feud ended when he broke into my house and tried to rape me. He got arrested and sent to prison and I haven't seen him since. Until now, that is."

It was hard for me to believe that a friend I've known for years was a convict, but I wasn't going to doubt Tori. "He's never going to hurt you again," I said as I held her close to me.

"I really appreciate that, but I don't know if you can fight him…" She said nervously.

I tilted my head to the side, "Who said anything about fighting him?"

She gave me a confused look, so I got up and went to the bedroom, opening a drawer in my nightstand and reaching for the gun my father bought me, for protection reasons.

"I don't fuck around," I said simply.

She looked at it for a moment, then hugged me, "I love you, Jade."

"I love you too, Tori."

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

A few days later I got up early on a Friday morning, early meaning around 2 A.M. I tiredly walked down the hall to the kitchen, stopping to check on Ben and Brad, who were fine, and Jade and Tori, who were of course cuddled up to each other and out cold.

When I got to the kitchen I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with some water, leaning against the counter as I drank it, just absentmindedly looking around. Then I noticed it.

The front door was open.

_Oh man._

I looked around frantically to see where the burglar was; just then, I was attacked from my left. Whoever it was was trying to put me in a chokehold, but I managed to fight off the assault. I ran over to the living room and turned around, ready to face him.

_It was Ryder!_

"Just tell me where Victoria is and we'll all be fine," he tried to reason.

"Fuck no," I spat at him.

He charged at me, and we engaged in a fight of strength, both of us trying to out power the other. I finally let go to land a punch to his jaw, to which he took the chance to shove me backwards, causing me to fall. Just as I hit the ground, I heard the distinct sound of a gunshot reverberate throughout the house. Ryder just stood there a moment before falling to his knees and then completely collapsing.

After he fell, I was able to see Jade standing in the hallway, gun in hand, looking pissed.

At the sound of the gunshot, the others were quickly woken up and came out to see what was going on. Ben noticed the body of Ryder and figured calling the cops would be a good idea, while Brad came over to see if I was alright.

Convincing Brad I was alright, I stood up and looked over to Jade, who was currently consoling a broken Tori.

By the time the cops arrived, Tori was still huddled up to Jade, probably terrified. Jade handed over the gun without protest, as they figured out on the scene that Ryder was still breathing. We both had to tell the story to multiple detectives, forcing us to stay up the majority of the night.

We had Ben and Brad take Tori home quite a while ago, as we knew we'd be there a while longer.

"Had no idea Ryder was such a psycho," Jade muttered as we waited for the next round of questioning.

"Me either. Thanks for the assist by the way, I wasn't doin' too well in that fight," I said with a laugh.

She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes, "It's hard to stomach the fact I almost killed someone, though."

I patted her shoulder in a comforting gesture, "You were protecting your family, the ones you care about. Gotta do what you gotta do. It's not on you, kiddo."

We were eventually allowed to go home, and Jade moped inside and headed straight for her room.

_Gotta do what you gotta do…_

* * *

**A/N: So we know the histories of the girls now, and Tori's past is now coming back to haunt her. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but I don't know how soon that'll be. In the meantime, review and let me know your thoughts...**


	14. Clocking In

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Holidays are almost over, folks; meaning personal life getting in the way of writing is almost over! Real life shenanigans aside, here's the next installment. One last thing I want to mention, I did make one small mistake in the previous chapter that could've confused a lot of people; last minute careless editing.** **Ryder _is_ alive, as mentioned below. But enough babbling, on with the story.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

The next morning I woke up in no better mood than the previous night. I was angry, scared, sad, and just upset all in all. Ryder lived through the bullet I managed to lodge between his lungs; and that's what gets me. Not my amazingly perfect aim, the fact I almost killed one of my friends.

I put a bullet through him knowing full well it could kill him. I could've aimed it better to hurt him less, I could've not shot him at all and helped Kevin another way, but none of that logical shit went through my mind.

"_Just tell me where Victoria is and we'll all be fine."_

All I needed to hear to go into a blind rage with one goal in mind; revenge. He deserved to pay for what he did. It doesn't mean shit that he was one of my friends, because he wasn't who he said he was at all, he was a monster. The fact he was after my Tori was enough motive, but attacking my brother was just the icing on the cake.

I don't regret shooting him, only not killing him.

I sat up in bed and put my head in my hands. _Today is going to be a bad day._

As I got up to change I heard Kevin and Tori shouting about something out in the living room. I sighed and decided to not even bother, opting for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I grabbed my phone and walked out into the living room.

Tori was sitting cross-legged on the couch, with Kevin next to her, and they were both concentrating intently on their death match in CoD. I laughed and walked right in front of them to go settle in the corner of the couch, putting my feet in Tori's lap.

"I'm still not a footstool, Jade," she said without looking away from the TV.

"Must we go over this again?" I asked.

She sighed and gave up, focusing on beating Kevin, which she eventually did. With a satisfied grin she set down her controller and came over to settle herself in my lap.

Kevin sighed and shook his head, "You got a keeper there, Jade."

I smiled and held her tight, "Yeah, I know."

She turned around to give me a kiss, which quickly became much more than a simple peck of affection. Our little bubble was popped though when Kevin loudly cleared his throat, "Anyway, concert tonight. So get your shit together and be ready. Also please don't have sex on the new couch," he added the last part as he walked away.

Tori and I shared a knowing look, "He said not on the new couch…" Tori started.

"Kev, we might be late!" I shouted to him as I got up and pulled Tori into our room.

* * *

**General POV**

Ben and Brad came downstairs to find Kevin playing his drums unnecessarily loud, "Yo, Kevin! Why are you being so loud?" Brad shouted over his furious banging on the drums.

Kevin stopped and raised his eyebrows in a 'because' gesture as he pointed to the ceiling. Pretty soon they heard what sounded like a headboard continuously hitting the wall, accompanied by 'talking.'

Ben rolled his eyes and Brad grinned like a hormonal 14 year old boy, "That's hot."

Kevin shook his head and put down his drumsticks, "That's my _sister_ you're talking about, Brad. Watch it. Regardless, I'm just glad she's finally happy, y'know?"

Ben nodded in understanding, "Glad I brought her into the band. Nice not having Jade biting my head off over everything."

Brad just continued to look at the ceiling with a goofy grin, to which Kevin picked up a drumstick and threw it at him, "Ow…"

"Knock it off, bro."

"Okay, okay. Sorry…" Brad muttered.

Ben picked up his Bass and turned up the amp almost all the way as he started to play once they heard the noises upstairs increase. Kevin knew what was going on all too well, Jade was just being Jade, an unspoken bet that she could make Tori scream louder than Ben could play. This wasn't unusual for Jade, she was often cocky (no pun intended) in the bedroom, and liked to show off.

Once the noises stopped, though, Kevin figured it was safe and headed upstairs to get ready to leave. As he passed the girls' room he heard Jade's voice through the door, "...but you know, I really do love you." He figured this wasn't his conversation to be hearing and quickly made his way to his room to get dressed.

Across the hall in Jade's room, the girls had finally decided to get up and get ready to leave for Pierce. They were way behind the guys, but all of them made it there on time.

As they were walking to the building, Kevin fell back to where Jade was, "So, you really love Tori, huh?"

She gave him a questioning look before answering, "Yeah, I do."

Kevin wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I'm happy for you, sis. She's a great catch, not to mention the fact she got you back to actually livin' life."

"Thanks Kev, you know I love you too, right?"

"Of course, as much as I love you back, kiddo."

They got to the door and presented their IDs to Dean, who let them in without issues. They went back stage to get ready for the concert while people started to file into the bar. Around 21:30 Evan came back and told them they were on, and they hopped up onto the stage.

Kevin took up the drums in the back, with Tori and Brad on either sides of Jade up front and Ben slightly behind. They of course rocked the hell out of the place, earning themselves an extra thousand this week.

They split the spoils evenly, as usual; but Kevin and Tori gave a large portion of their cut to Jade to pay off her debt to her father.

While they were there, Jade decided she'd go ahead and apply for a job, which she got. She worked on Monday through Thursday, 20:00 to 2:00.

After a rather successful night, the group retired home to get wasted in their own space. They decided to put in a movie and make some popcorn; the guys took up most of the new couch, so the girls of course took up the other one, not at all paying attention to the movie.

They eventually went to bed, removing the guys from the awkward and irritating situation.

As Jade and Tori settled into bed, Jade spoke quietly, "Hey Tori?"

"Yeah?" She sleepily asked.

"I love you."

She turned around to give Jade a kiss before snuggling into her, "I love you too."

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"Jade! Get your ass outta bed, for fuck's sake its 6 o'clock!" I heard Kevin's voice, rudely awakening me from my sleep.

I sat up running my fingers through my messy hair. I sighed and got up, finding some appropriate clothes before going into my bathroom for a shower. Not even a full minute after I got in the shower, I heard the door open behind me. I sighed and shook my head, even though I was smiling.

I turned around and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to me for a kiss. When she finally pulled away to breathe, she moved her head over to whisper in my ear, "You know, we haven't had sex in like, almost 2 days." _Abstinence does not make the heart grow fonder, it makes the libido irritated._

I gave her my best shocked face, "Oh my goodness! You must be dying!"_ I know I am._

She grinned, "I am," looking right into my eyes, she added, "I miss you."

"I'm right here."

She backed me up against the wall, not even bothering with foreplay as she went in straight for the kill. Her lips met mine in a searing kiss as she reached down to slide her fingers into me. I reciprocated by doing the same. She bit my lip as the sudden pulse of pleasure hit her, and the biting only aroused me more.

I had my free hand on her hip, occasionally moving up to caress her breast. Hers was set on mine though, but when she let go and just pressed herself against me I couldn't help but to let out a quiet moan.

Our hands both grinded into each other in almost perfect synchronization as we kissed, completely overloading our senses and driving us mad with pleasure. She slid her fingers in and out of me with slippery ease, her palm putting pressure on my clit every time she filled me. I was working on her neck while toying with her center then rubbing against her with one goal in mind.

She was breathing heavily and moaning right by my ear, effectively pushing me over the edge. I subconsciously bit down on her shoulder to keep from crying out her name as I shuddered in pleasure as it hit me like a train. My going over the edge seemed to push Tori as well, as I felt her fingers curl slightly inside me, which only intensified my orgasm.

As the last of the waves subsided, we tiredly slid down to the floor, I leaned back against the wall and Tori leaned on me. I rested my chin on her shoulder, kissing her neck before whispering to her, "I love you."

She turned around to capture my lips in a passionate kiss, eventually pulling away, "I love you too."

I finally did get my actual shower in, and got dressed for the…well, night. I glanced at the time on my phone when I was done tying my boots, _19:15. "Uh, yeah, I'm late 'cause I was havin' a quickie in the shower with my girlfriend, sorry." – Try that with your boss, see if it works._

I sighed and got up, grabbing my keys and wallet before going out to the living room.

"It's alive!" Brad shouted as he saw me enter the room.

"Oh, real cute Brad," I snapped at him.

Kevin laughed, "Don't irritate Jade when she's already pissed off, it won't end well for you. Anyway, good luck tonight, sis. Might come visit you!"

"That'd be cool, probably be boring as hell there," I said as I put on my jacket.

Tori walked out from our room and noticed me getting ready to leave. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss, "Good luck, and try not to score too many dates tonight."

I laughed at the last part, "In their dreams."

With one last kiss to her, I said my goodbyes to the rest and headed off to Pierce for my first night on the job. _This should be interesting._

* * *

**A/N: Oh, did I really do that? Yep, shower quickies to make up for being late. But, Ryder's alive, Jade has a job, and life seems to be calming down. Since when was life in the fast lane calm?**


	15. Run Like Hell

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Been a while since I've updated, apologies for that, family trips and such. Finally got this written nonetheless. Surprisingly most of it is in Tori's POV, kind of odd. But anyway, read on!**

* * *

**Tori's POV**

Walking into a bar without Jade is like a foreign occurrence to me, because it never happens. I never went to bars until I met her, and of course after that I went everywhere with her, with Kevin with me though it was better. We got past Trey, another bouncer who switches shifts with Dean, and made our way to the bar.

And there she was, leaning against the bar as if suffering from a severe case of clinical boredom. Her eyes lit up when she saw us, "Finally, some decent people!"

"Decent huh?" I countered as I copied her position.

"You heard me," she replied, grabbing onto my shirt and pulling me into a kiss.

Kevin eventually interrupted our affectionate greeting with a loud clearing of his throat, "Well, Jade, it's nice to see you too."

Jade pulled away and laughed, "I'm sorry, Kev. Did you want a kiss too?"

"Oh, would you really?" He asked with mock excitement.

"No," she curtly replied, turning back to me and pulling me into another kiss.

I heard Kevin sigh, wait a few seconds, then slam his fists on the counter, "Bartender! I'd like a drink!"

Jade reluctantly pulled away again and turned to Kevin with an annoyed glare, "Yes? And what would you like?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"White Russian, please," he responded kindly.

"One for me too," I added with a sly grin.

She rolled her eyes and set to work making the drinks. An hour or so later I was sitting at the bar sipping my bottle of Sam Adams; Kevin had found a girl to hit on and was trying to get laid. Jade sighed and put her head down onto the bar, "I really hate people."

I laughed, "What happened now?"

She pointed to the other end of the bar where a young couple was sitting, "Asked me if I was interested in a threeway."

I laughed, "And?"

"It didn't involve you, so why would I?" She answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I raised a questioning eyebrow, "If it did?"

She rolled her eyes, "The other would just get in the way."

I took a sip from my drink to hide my blush, which she definitely noticed, but wasn't able to comment on due to another guy coming up to the bar for a drink. I watched quietly as the guy shamelessly flirted with Jade; trying my hardest not to laugh.

As she gave him his drink, he asked, "So, can I have your number?"

"Only if my girlfriend can have your address," she responded simply, pointing her thumb back towards me.

He glanced at me, "Why? She wanna get down too?"

She laughed, "Maybe with me after she kills you."

His eyes widened at the statement, accompanied by her disturbing amount of calmness. I raised a challenging eyebrow at him and he quickly scurried off. She smirked in satisfaction, "What'dya say?"

I looked back to her, "'Bout what?"

"Get down with me after you kill him?" She asked with a grin.

I laughed and polished off my beer before answering, "You know it."

Eventually they kicked the last of us out of Pierce, Jade soon following suit, meeting me at her car. Kevin had left quite a while ago with the girl he scored. As we got in the car she looked to me, "Wanna head home now, or have some fun?"

I grinned, "I'm down for some fun."

"Awesome," she said as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. At a red light she got out her phone and looked through her contacts before selecting one and calling the number.

"Hey Curtis...Nah just got off work…yeah, can't believe it either…Hey you up for some racin'?...ah, aight…yeah, talk to you later," she scoffed and hung up, then spoke to me, "Fuckin' Curt's too busy, told me to call Bri or Nick."

"And they are?"

"Other racing buddies, I guess. Rather call Nick though, reasons," she said.

I figured she and this Bri character had a history, so I wasn't going to push that one. She went and called Nick, who agreed to meet her at the 'usual spot', as the race track was closed at this time, she told me.

"So by fun you mean street racing?" I guessed.

She smirked, "Bingo."

She drove for about 10 more minutes before stopping at a gas station and getting out. A minute or so later she got back in the car, tossing the license plate in my lap. I laughed and shook my head, _my girlfriend, ladies and gentlemen._

She continued on to a pretty much deserted stretch of a 3 lane road, where 2 other cars were already waiting. She stopped next to them and got out, so I followed.

As I walked up, one of the 3 people standing there, of 2 guys and a girl, spoke up, "Aye, Jade! Good to see you, been a while. Who's this?"

Jade leaned on her car and wrapped her arm around my waist, "Latest one night stand, this one's been sticking around for a while, unfortunately."

I glared at her and she smirked at me. The guy laughed, "Poor you, can't catch a break can ya."

I sighed and she held me closer to her, "Nah, new lead guitarist in the band, roommate, girlfriend, take your pick."

He looked surprised, "Damn, been busy haven't ya?"

With a suggestive eyebrow raise, she simply replied, "Oh yeah," to which I sighed and shook my head. _That's my girl…_

The girl next to him spoke up, sounding rather annoyed, "We gonna race or what?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jade's smirk disappear as she spoke. The guy looked to her, "Yeah, Bri you countin' us?"

"I don't care," Bri responded.

"Well while you figure that out, I'll be in my car," Jade said, turning to go to the driver's side door. After she had removed her arm from around my waist I got into the car after her, as soon as the door closed she spoke, "Can't stand her."

"Bri?"

"Yep."

I decided to push my luck a bit, I was curious, "What's the story on her?"

She laughed and responded without looking up from her phone, "Ex, dumped her 'cause I swear, if I'd stayed with her another minute she would've made me go insane. She complained so damn much I couldn't hear myself think."

"Nick and Keith?"

"Ah, just buddies. Nothin' there." I nodded and let it go, curiosity satisfied. Eventually Nick knocked on Jade's window and told her they were ready and where they were racing to. Bri was standing off to the side as Keith, Nick, and Jade got ready to race. She counted them down and they took off.

I always like to watch Jade when she races; her concentration face is pretty sexy. After about 15 seconds, we heard a police siren.

"Fuck," Jade swore under her breath as she looked around to find out where it was coming from. I looked over to the right and saw Nick freaking out as well. Jade switched gears and took a sharp turn just as Keith turned the opposite way, and Nick continued going straight.

The cop unfortunately picked Jade to pursue, to which she continued to spew obscenities at them. She also continued her furious gear shifting, speeding by at least 50 MPH as she tried to outrun the cop. Ironically, _'Run Like Hell'_ came on her playlist as the chase ensued.

Eventually the sirens faded and Jade slowed down, making sure she had lost the cop before she made her way back to the empty country roads and back home. We got inside, changed clothes, and got in bed in record time.

"That was fun," I said as I snuggled into her side.

"Until the fuzz showed up."

"Even then."

She laughed and hugged me, soon falling asleep.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I woke up around noon, and turned on the TV in our room as I gathered some clothes for after my shower. I decided to see if there was anything interesting on the news, and lo and behold, there was. _Me._

A crime report of street racers wanted was aired right before a commercial. I laughed as I saw it, and looked over to Tori, who woke up just in time to see it.

"Can't take you anywhere, Jade."

I smirked, "Come on, it was fun."

She simply nodded before the time for words was over. She grabbed onto my hand and pulled me back into bed.

After she was satisfied, we decided to get up and shower separately. When I was done, I went out to the living room, which was currently occupied by all three of the guys.

"Hey kiddo, sleep well?" Kevin asked as I walked in the room and settled in the corner of the couch.

"Yeah, I did. How about you?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Slept real well," he responded with a wink.

I laughed and gave him a high-five, "Nice one, Kev." Just as I said that, Tori walked out from the bathroom in the hallway. She laughed and shook her head, most likely knowing what we were talking about.

Tori came over and settled in my lap as Ben spoke up, "Hey Tori?"

"Hmm?"

"Andre called, he's gonna be at Pierce on Friday night."

She had a huge grin on her face, and raised her fists in a celebratory fashion.

"Should I be concerned?" I asked with a laugh.

Tori giggled with glee and shook her head, "Andre's my best friend, the reason I got into the band."

_Gotta mess with her…_ "Oh good, gonna have a talk with him then."

She turned around and looked at me with a frown; I laughed and kissed her, "To thank him."

Tori smiled and kissed me back, but before we could get into anything, Kevin spoke up, "Dad called as well, Jade. He wants to talk to you."

"Today?"

"ASAP."

I sighed, "Alright…" Tori got up, and we both finished getting ready to go out. Soon enough, we were at my father's office; I ignored the secretary and went back to his office.

As he noticed me walk in, he looked up for just a moment before getting right down to business, "Your court hearing is on Thursday; I do believe I already have everything prepared, but still, you have about two days. That matter aside, I'd like to speak about what recently occurred."

I sat down on the chair in front of his desk, Tori in the one next to it, "What do you know?"

"A man broke into yours and Kevin's home, assaulted Kevin, and you shot him. He's alive as far as I know, and you're not currently facing any charges, as it was self-defense, and a trespassing offense on his part. Though when he regains consciousness, that may change. What I want to know, is why?"

I looked to Tori, who bit her lip nervously before answering, "He was looking for me."

My father looked confused, "Why? And how would he know where you live, being as you just moved and all."

"He came over to have Kevin change the oil in his car, they came inside for some food and he saw Tori. They have…history," I answered.

He nodded, seeming to be in thought, "After we take care of this current lawsuit, we'll worry about…"

"Ryder."

"Ryder. I believe his case requires more attention, attention I can't supply while handling another case like this."

We nodded in understanding and said our goodbyes before going back out to the car. As we got in, Tori looked to me, "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

I smirked, "Nope."

* * *

**A/N: Filler chapter, but more to come. Andre's making a comeback and they're gonna knock out the lawsuit from Trina and Emma before charging in head first with the Ryder problem. Leave a review, tell me your thoughts. And I will be back soon with more, maybe not with this story in particular though, who knows.**


	16. Pancake Thief

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: First chapter all year, been forever hasn't it? I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's mostly filler dialogue; but hopefully interesting anyway.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

Friday morning I woke up to an empty bed and the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen. I quickly threw on some clothes before going out to get my two favorite things.

As I walked into the kitchen, I gasped in mock disbelief, "You are not eating my pancakes!"

She looked up and grinned, "I do believe I am."

As I approached, she put her plate of pancakes on the counter behind her before I kissed her. She never noticed as I reached around her and took the plate, after I had successfully taken possession of it, I gave her one last kiss and a smirk before walking off towards the living room.

"You're horrible, Jade," she grumbled as soon as she figured out what I did.

I laughed, "I love you!"

She eventually couldn't suppress her laughter anymore, "I love you too, pancake thief."

Just then Kevin walked in from the hallway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning, "You two are a couple'a dorks, you know that right?"

"She started it," Tori responded innocently.

Kevin flopped onto the couch next to me, "You know, Jade, you keep smiling like that and your face is gonna permanently mold into that shape."

I raised a curious eyebrow, "What would be the difference? She sticks around it's gonna stay anyway."

"You sure this ain't just the pancakes talkin'?" He asked with a laugh.

I looked back at Tori, who had gotten a new plate of pancakes and was multitasking; eating pancakes and doing whatever on her phone.

"Nah, I'm actually really happy. Life's good," I said as I finished Tori's pancakes and set the plate on the coffee table before relaxing again.

He patted my shoulder, "I'm glad, you deserve it. But if you don't mind me asking, what're your plans for the future?"

It was a good question; I'd never really thought much about my future, always living my life with the goal of just getting through the day. But now that things were stable, for the most part, what was I going to do?

"I don't know Kev. Not sure if I'm ready to go into the whole 'start a family' thing, but on the other hand, I don't have much more time to waste."

Kevin sat up and looked over the back of the couch to see where Tori was, satisfied that she was out of earshot, he moved closer to me so he could talk quieter, "First, I think you should put a ring on it."

"You're kidding right?"

He shrugged, "Why not?"

"I've barely been with her for a month, don't you think that's rushing things a bit?"

"Oh, so now rushing is a bad thing?" _I'm going to kill you in your sleep._

I groaned in annoyance, "Fine, what's your reasoning behind this?"

"Well for one, you two can conjoin everything, finances, insurance, etc, make shit a hell of a lot easier. We can make a more permanent spot for her here…"

I interrupted him, having heard enough, "Look, Kev, all that's great, but it's way too soon. I'm thinking, first, I'll get an actual job, so I'm not up til 2 in the fucking morning every night getting hit on by everything that breathes. Other than that, I think the rest of you should get jobs too, I think we could use a bigger house…"

Kevin nodded, "Sounds fair. Bigger house sounds pretty nice as well; I'm sure Ben and Brad would be stoked to have separate rooms."

"So yeah, there's our checklist for to-dos before the end of the year, four months to go," I said, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.

"Best get to it then," Kevin replied with a laugh.

I sighed, "Maybe after a nap."

Brad and Ben came out soon after that, seeking out the pancakes. Tori cleaned up the kitchen before coming out to the living room to snuggle up to me. We spent the majority of that day in the living room playing on our various game systems and plethora of game choices.

We played on the Atari for most of the day, 'cause oldies kick ass, but as it neared 18:00, we decided to get dressed and practice for the concert tonight. Seeing as we rocked the hell out of every song we rehearsed, we figured we'd be alright and headed off to Pierce around 20:30.

Tori and I waited in the parking lot for a good 5 minutes for the guys to catch up, as they came up to us Ben spoke to Tori, "Hey, Andre said he's already here."

"Let's go then!" She responded enthusiastically.

She took my hand as we walked to the building, which made me uncontrollably smile a little. Dean let us in without issues, and Tori and Ben were looking around for Andre, I surmised as I watched them scan the crowd.

Suddenly Tori let go of my hand and full on hauled ass over to a guy standing by the bar, jumping at him in an over-enthusiastic hug, _I think she found him._

Ben leaned over to me, "Andre's like the big brother she never had, and she loves him. So that's nothing unusual."

I nodded in acknowledgement to his statement and looked back to Tori, who was once again standing on her own two feet and talking to Andre. I walked up to them, not trying to butt into the conversation or anything, just curious to meet this Andre fellow.

As I approached, he noticed me and his eyes widened a little bit and he stopped talking. Tori turned around to see what he was so mesmerized by, upon seeing nothing but me, she laughed and said to me, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Andre thinks you're hot."

I smirked in amusement at the death glare he gave her, and he finally found the nerve to speak, but to Tori, "So you got into the band with Jade here, huh?"

I bit my lip to hide the grin that threatened to consume me as she simply responded, "Amongst other things."

His eyebrows about hit his hairline as he looked back and forth between Tori and I. I saw a golden opportunity, and had to jump at the chance.

"Thanks for introducing Tori to me...I mean us; she's great," I said with a wink before I turned to walk away.

Tori sighed in exasperation and I just smirked, _I'll let him figure that one out._

* * *

**Tori's POV**

After Jade walked away Andre looked to me, "Please tell me she means great on the guitar."

I gave him a nervous grin, "I'm sure that's on the list."

His jaw about hit the floor as he stared at me in shock, "Damn, I've been gone too long."

"No kiddin'. You're missing everything!"

He pulled me over to the bar and we sat down, after we ordered drinks he turned to me, "Aight, spill. What's going on with you and Miss Sexiness over there?"

"I tap that," I said as I nonchalantly took a sip from my drink. It was literally everything I had not to burst out laughing at what I said. Andre didn't have the same restraint, as he did a spit-take with his drink and ended up choking on it. "You're such a drama queen."

He looked at me with a face that screamed annoyance, "You can't say things like that and expect a brother to take it lightly!"

I laughed, "My sincerest apologies. Let me see if I can put this in better words… I'm dating Jade."

"You…are…a…lucky motherfucker. How'd you manage that?"

"Took a chance, risked a hell of a lot, let go of fear, and lived in the moment. I'll just say that."

He nodded, accepting the fact I wasn't going to go into detail. "So how've you been? What's been going on with you lately?"

I sighed and bit my lip as I thought, "Well, just been living with the band since about a week after the audition, so I tag along on whatever they're doing. Whatever Jade's doing most of the time."

"And what does she do?"

"Goes down to the race track, we go to parties, come here, some nights we just stay at her mountain."

After asking for another drink he turned back to me, "Elaborate?"

I turned around, and pointed out the large front window where Jade's Mustang was easily visible, "She's got one sick car, amazing thing to drive. She takes it to the race track and races other people or we rent another car and race each other. The mountain I can't tell you about, it's a secret."

"Damn, you got yourself one hell of a girl," he muttered.

I grinned, "I know."

We caught up for a while longer until Ben came over and told me that we were on. I went backstage with him where the rest were already getting ready. With the number of encores we did and the attendance that night, we managed to score $5000.

As soon as we got back stage, I quickly found myself pinned between the wall and Jade for a little celebration make out session. She moved over to whisper in my ear, "I switched keys with Kevin, wanna go celebrate somewhere else?" _How does she manage to get me this worked up with just words?_

I simply nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment. She grabbed our shares from Kevin before we left Pierce, heading straight for her secret hideout. Once we got there we wasted no time in going inside to 'celebrate'.

As we laid in bed afterwards, I was almost asleep when I heard Jade's quiet voice, "So Kevin and I made plans for the rest of this year, goals I guess."

I knew all about what she was talking about, what she didn't know is I actually heard the entirety of their conversation while I was in the kitchen. Yes, even the part about Kevin thinking we should get married.

"I know," I mumbled in reply.

"How do you know?"

"You guys didn't talk very quietly."

She sighed, "Sorry you had to hear that."

I rolled over and hugged her, "Don't worry about it."

She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my forehead, "Marrying you wouldn't be the worst thing in the world though. Just not yet." _Feelings overloaded, cannot comprehend._

I repositioned myself on top of her and kissed her, our perfect routine starting once again.

* * *

The next morning I woke up just as Jade was getting out of bed, she tossed me my clothes and we got dressed, and she drove us down the mountain and back home.

As we walked inside, I saw Kevin was sitting out in the living room alone. Jade threw him his keys and walked straight to the bathroom. I collapsed on the couch, sighing in exhaustion.

"Rough night kid?" Kevin asked with a laugh.

I just grunted and otherwise ignored the question, opting to ask my own, "Why'd you tell Jade to marry me?"

He looked surprised, "You know about that? Bah, well, I wasn't really serious."

"Really now," I said with a raised eyebrow.

"She actually considered marrying you. Back before you, the word 'marriage' alone would be enough to have her boltin', was just curious if things actually really were different with you. Guess they are."

I let his words really sink in, _things are different with me._ I didn't have a chance to respond though, as Jade walked back out into the living room, settling down next to me. I snuggled up to her and just let my mind wander, thinking through all the things Kevin had said.

_Things are different with me. Whatever it is about me, I seem to be that one thing that can pass right through every bit of her defenses. She loves me. She trusts me._ I looked over to her, studying the perfect contours of her face as she noticed and turned to look at me. I stared at her beautiful blue-green eyes that I loved so much, putting my hand on her cheek, I moved up to kiss her.

"I love you," I whispered against her lips.

She smiled, "I love you too."

_I'll never stop loving you._

* * *

**A/N: There it is, that ruinous M word that has most people running and screaming at the simple mention of it. Ah, but Jade's softening up isn't she?**

**What do you guys think; marriage/no marriage? Mini Jori? Gimmie your thoughts!**


	17. Fright Night

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Before anything else I'd like to say this chapter skips ahead approximately two months (admit it, the day to day thing was getting old), that in mind, this chapter has less dialogue than usual and more action, just some fun stuff going on here, nothing major.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I love October. I love the fall weather, the entire Halloween theme, and all the joys that come with it. See, we have a tradition; every year we go out to this old school that's been converted into an epic haunted house. We volunteer there to be the spooks. See why I love the job? Not yet? Well, one time, I scared a grown man so bad he literally pissed himself. Now do you see?

It didn't take much to convince Tori to come along. It was the first night the place was open and we were all getting ready to leave, decked out in black shoes, black jeans, and black hoodies. Kevin got out our masks; a witch looking one for me, undead ogre type thing for Brad, a freaky clown one for Ben, and Kevin's signature beat-up hockey mask.

Tori and I left a little early so we could stop at one of those Halloween stores and get her a mask. We had a good laugh when we found one exactly like mine, and didn't even think twice about buying it. I made one more stop at the gas station for two Monsters, keep us awake and alert. After that I drove over to the school house.

We met the guys in the parking lot, and all walked in together. We passed Ruth and Ted, the older couple who handles the money, offering them a greeting; they were cool people. Down the hall and through a door to the right, we found ourselves in a large room, what used to be a lunch room. Mitch, the guy who deals with all the spooks, was psyched when he saw us.

"Hey guys! So glad you could make it, got so many new kids tonight, it's just a mess. Anyway, who's this?" He asked, looking towards Tori.

Kevin answered before either Tori or I could, "This is Tori, newest bandmate. Here to help out tonight."

Mitch nodded and set to work assigning everyone to their spots. Mine was a given, I worked the same spot every year, right by the stereo, since I handled the music that played throughout the place as well. Kevin got the chainsaw bit, while Ben and Brad got the spark room. The spark room being a small room off to the side of the path, surrounded by a steel fence, and shielded from the path by a wall of plexiglass; it gets its name from the fact they have cattle prods they bang against the fence, of course it's electrified, so it's a spark-fest. Needless to say, walking through a dark hallway and suddenly having loud noises and sparks flying about right next to you, tends to scare people just a little.

I gestured for Tori to follow me, leading her back out into the hallway and across the hall, going in a door a little ways down. I felt her grab onto the back of my shirt as we made our way through the small spook doors built in especially for this purpose. It was pitch black aside from the colored lights coming from some of the displays, the ones we passed being a creepy locker room. I got out my little flashlight and turned it on so I could see the hidden door, and we made our way into the small sound room.

Tori looked around nervously as I set up my MP3 player on repeat, the eerie music soon filling the building. I checked my phone, we still had about 15 minutes until they were going to let people in, so I moved the black tarp out of the way, leading to the spot where I stay to scare people. I camp the bottom of the first slide, popping out and scaring the shit out of them when they slide down.

Setting our masks down on the steel chair in the corner, I stepped out into the cramped pathway for people to go through. The entirety of the slide to the right was lined with red lights, casting a sinister glow on it. Straight ahead of the slide was an emergency exit, where people often chickened out and bolted; off to the right of that was the continuation of the path. On the left side of the door, though, was where I showed Tori she was going to be working.

"You can climb, right?" I asked her with a smirk.

She gave me a questioning look, "Sure?"

I climbed up the few two-by-fours on either side of the tiny space, finally settling about four feet off the ground, supported by two sturdy boards. "See here," I stuck my arm through the small opening up at the top as a demonstration, "Is part of the path. What you're gonna do, is watch for people through this little opening, and grab their ankles as they crawl by. Got it?"

I jumped down and let her test the waters, she seemed to be thoroughly amused with the entire concept of it, "This is pretty cool."

"It is, see the path follows this trail," I said as I pointed along the ceiling, until I got to the top of the slide, "So I'll know when to get ready, because people will be coming past you first. But hey, if you really wanna outdo it, you can put on the mask and jump down after scaring that bunch, and spook 'em again after they've slightly recovered from my scare. They'd be so fuckin' confused," I added with a laugh.

She grinned, "Awesome."

It was pretty dark in there, but our eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, and we were able to see without much trouble. After confirming that everything was ready, I sat down on what used to be seats from a bus, now being used as cushions at the bottom of the slide. I grinned as she sat down in my lap, facing me; and I met her halfway in a sensual kiss. We quickly forgot about the rest of the world, only concerned with each other. That was until we heard loud screams coming from the room to our left, what I knew to be the cafeteria.

We reluctantly got ourselves together and assumed our positions, waiting for the group to come to us. I leaned against the wall as I heard people blundering around above us, soon followed by screams and various obscenities shouted in fear. _That's my girl._

Eventually I heard her quickly jump down, and I listened as the group made their way through the crawl space, the comical, "Oh look! A slide!" Making my night, as always.

I moved further back into the corner as I watched the people come down the slide. Watching one after another until I found the perfect target, jumping out and successfully making the teenage girl scream in terror. I quickly retreated back into the corner as Tori attacked from the other side, earning a frightful yelp from the motherly figure of the group.

They eventually recovered and moved on; Tori and I took off our masks and grinned at each other in satisfaction. We were one hell of a team.

After a few hours, one of the roamers I knew as Jared came by, letting me know that the last group was almost to the cafeteria, and we were free to go afterwards. We finished off the night strong with one last successful scare to a bunch of teenage girls. As they moved on, Tori came over to my little space, hugging me and seeming to almost fall asleep. I quietly held her as I listened for the sound of Kevin's chainsaw, signaling that it was alright for me to unhook the MP3 and retire for the night.

We made our way back out the way we came, stopping by the small concession stand to get our free snack. Afterwards we bid our farewells to Mitch, and went out to the car. Tori went ahead and got in, probably falling asleep soon after sitting down; I on the other hand, waited until the guys came out before leaving.

Just as I expected, when I got in the car, I looked over and saw Tori completely out. I tried to keep as quiet as my car would allow, as to not wake her, as I drove home. When we got back, I decided to just leave the other crap in the car, making a mental note to get it in the morning. I went over to the passenger side and picked up Tori, kicking the door shut and making my way inside and to our room. I stripped her of her shoes, pants and hoodie, before doing the same for myself, and getting in bed.

The next morning I woke up, sliding out of bed without waking Tori, and putting on some clothes before going out to the kitchen. Upon realizing I was the first one up, I sighed, knowing it was now my job to make breakfast. I got out the eggs and bacon; after I had both of those cooking I leaned up against the counter and closed my eyes.

Life had been pretty good recently, managed to score us another $5000 on Friday night; we're just racking up the cash nowadays. As of late, the guys and Tori have all gotten jobs, surprisingly. Our 'new house' fund was coming along quite nicely. Then of course last night was the first night of the haunted school house, always a good time. I managed to dodge the lawsuits from Trina and Emma, paying off my fines and that was that; not to mention the fact we haven't heard a peep from Ryder since the incident. I actually smiled; pretty content with how my life was at this point.

"Happy?" My smile instantly grew at the sound of her voice, and I opened my eyes to see her walking into the kitchen.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me before giving her a kiss, "Yes, actually, I am."

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

It's always nice to wake up to the smell of food, the first clue that I'm not the one who has to cook this morning, and food is already waiting for me. I quickly put on some sweatpants and a hoodie before leaving my room to go get breakfast.

As I walked out into the living room, I couldn't help but laugh as I saw Jade and Tori sitting on the couch, Jade about to feed her a piece of bacon, then deciding at the last second to eat it herself. Tori frowned at her and Jade laughed.

Tori looked up at me and I gave her a wink before speaking, "Hey Tor, how'd you like my outfit?"

She picked up on what I was doing, and took on a 'what the fuck' face, "What are you wearing?!"

Jade turned around to see what all the fuss was, and Tori took the chance to steal the remaining bacon from her plate. When she realized I wasn't actually wearing anything abnormal, she quickly turned back around, to see Tori eating the last of her bacon with a triumphant grin.

"You guys suck," she grumbled.

As I walked away laughing, I heard Tori's response, "Maybe if you ask nicely."

I facepalmed and continued on to the kitchen so I didn't have to listen to my sister's response, knowing her it'd be worse. I got my food and came back to lounge on the remaining part of the couch. I turned on the TV and found some cartoons; no, we never grew up.

As I ate my breakfast and watched an old Scooby-Doo movie, out of the corner of my eye I could see the girls all cuddled up, occasionally giggling at the movie. _Jade doesn't giggle! She doesn't cuddle either._

_Tori, you have superpowers._

* * *

**A/N: I like fluff, what can I say. The haunted school house described in the chapter does exist, and I did volunteer there once upon a time. Hope you liked this chapter, I wanted to do a fun one just because I never meant for this story to be overly dramatic in the first place, and it's been a bit that the past few chapters. Leave a review, let me know what you think of the story and your take on where the little Jori adventure should go.**

**Quick bit of vocabulary here; a roamer (as mentioned in the haunted school house part) is a spook (person who scares, obviously) who doesn't have a designated position, and essentially roams the place, making sure the groups don't lag behind or derp around.**


	18. Future's So Bright

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: So yeah, putting an end to the year in this story and it's four days late, oh well. I've been busy as of late and my muse is away for a week, so for those reasons I'll be later posting than I usually am.**

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

I think it's kind of a bummer how it's just preposterous to even think of a 'white Christmas' in California. In the 28 years I've lived in this place not once have we had snow on a Christmas day. No different is today, as we sit around our "Christmas tree" which is actually two halves of a tree, one being upside-down and sitting on the floor, surrounded by red lights; the other being attached to the ceiling, surrounded by blue lights. No, we couldn't just put up a tree; we had to Portal-theme it.

Jade was still trying to sleep while periodically being hit with presents tossed in her direction; she wasn't used to being up at 5 in the morning to open presents. None of us were, actually, but when Tori jumps out of bed and runs up and down the hallway shouting a bunch of nonsense about it, choices are limited. One would argue the fact that this girl is actually 22, due to her reaction towards Christmas morning, but then again, Jade and I are well past that and still watch cartoons regularly.

I decided to get up and make her morning coffee so she wasn't entirely miserable; lord knows she couldn't do it herself in her impaired state. After downing the first cup, she was actually conscious, but still trying to sleep, Tori was none too happy with this fact.

"Jade! Get up, come on you have to open your presents!" Tori shouted to her, practically jumping up and down on the couch in excitement.

"I think they'll be there in a few hours. Can I go back to sleep now," Jade grumbled, barely moving.

Tori sighed in frustration before crawling over to where Jade was on the couch and whispering something in her ear. Whatever it was, Jade gradually took on a look of annoyance as she opened her eyes, "I hate you."

Tori grinned in satisfaction, "I know," she said as she handed Jade her stack of gifts.

I shook my head and laughed, taking a wild shot in the dark at guessing what she could've said to Jade. She was actually pretty calm as she opened her gifts, usually she was more enthusiastic; but there was also the factor that it was 5:45 in the morning, I figured she'd be more excited after she'd slept a little longer.

An hour or so later, Ben and Brad were busy on the PS3 trying out the new games they got, while I was on my laptop downloading the music from the various CDs I was given. And of course there was Tori who was continuously coaxing Jade into participating, despite her protests. We were all so busy playing around with our new toys that we almost didn't notice the knocking on the door.

I set my laptop down on the coffee table and went over to the door, looking through the peephole first to see who was out there. I was confused and cautious after I saw nobody there. As I opened the door, I noticed an envelope taped to the door. I pulled it off and shut the door, bringing it back over to the couch.

"Anyone know what this is?" I asked as I set it on the coffee table.

Jade tiredly looked at it, "Why don't you open it and find out."

I looked at it, on the other side, it clearly said '_**Social Revolution**_' in big bold letters. Curious to see what it was, I opened it, finding a formally written letter inside. As I read over it, my eyes widened and my mouth dropped open in shock.

"What is it, Kevin?" Ben asked.

Brad came over and looked at the note over my shoulder, realizing what it was, he jumped up and down in excitement, "We got a shot at a record deal!"

Jade's eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, almost hitting Tori, "What?!"

I handed her the paper, and while she read it I looked in the envelope, inside was a business card for the record company, "Revel Entertainment," I said out loud.

"This guy said call if we're interested, so let's call!" Jade said excitedly when she finished reading.

"Way ahead of you," Ben said as he picked up the card and dialed the number.

Suddenly I was struck with a thought that probably never occurred to any of us, considering how psyched we were, "Where did this come from anyway?"

Tori looked over the envelope, the card, and the note, "Nothing here says anything about who gave this to us."

"You think the record company will tell us?" Brad asked.

"Maybe. Best Christmas present ever though!" Jade said with a smirk.

Ben ended up being on the phone for over an hour before he finally actually got to talk to somebody, and then another hour before they did anything to help him. Two and a half hours later, he set his phone down with a heavy sigh.

"So? What'd they say?" Brad asked impatiently.

We were all on the edge of our seats as we waited for Ben's answer, when he looked down disappointedly, all our spirits fell.

"We have an audition on the 6th," he said as he looked back up with an amused grin.

We all literally jumped for joy, crushing each other in over-enthusiastic hugs. The rest of that day was spent in the basement, messing around on our instruments, trying to decide what song we should do for the audition. After much debate, we settled on the one Jade and Tori had written.

We topped off that Christmas day with a nice steak dinner; it really is great having money. Speaking of having money, Jade and Tori decided to buy themselves a new car, a black (as dictated by Jade) Ford Edge. All-wheel drive so they can use it instead of my truck when they go up to the mountain, which is great. We've got a thing for black cars around here, I guess, 'cause Ben and Brad also decided to pool their money to get their own car to share, 'course it's a black, R/T Classic Challenger. We settle for nothin' but the best.

So with buying all the new cars, we've dried up most of our 'new house' savings, but if we get this record deal, we'll be set.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I fuckin' love not having to borrow Kev's truck anymore when I want to go up to the mountain. It's great just grabbing my own damn keys, dragging my damn girlfriend out to my own damn car, and going to our favorite place. Did I mention it's _my_ damn stuff?

Speaking of stuff (_Good lord, I could go anywhere with that one._), Tori and I decided to…redecorate the cabin a bit, make it a bit more livable. This includes cleaning the entire place, getting furniture from _this_ century, and have some form of lighting, usually oil lamps or lanterns; electricity is just too much of a bother and really not necessary up there. It's actually pretty nice now, spending nights is more bearable.

Such as tonight, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what Tori and I got each other for Christmas. Needless to say, we didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night.

* * *

New Year's Eve…New Year's Eve… That night where everyone gets trashed because a fucking year ended and one is beginning? Bingo. New year ladies and germs, here's my resolution that'll fulfill itself on the twelfth of never. Weee-hooo let's party.

You can feel the enthusiasm just radiating off of me, can't you? From all the way over wherever you are, I know you do.

The best thing about New Year's, is that I'm allowed to get so wasted that I can't even remember my name, and no one bats an eye at it. Awesome thing is, party's at my house this year ('cause of Kev), so I don't have to drive afterwards. Know what that means? Wrong. More booze for _me._

At 22:00 we were getting crap ready for the party, we meaning them while I lay on the couch.

"Jade, you should help us, so we finish quicker," Brad tried to reason with me.

I gave him a faux smile, "I'll help you clean out the alcohol supply."

"Tori?" He pleaded.

She sighed and came over, leaning over the back of the couch to talk quietly to me, "Hey babe…"

I interrupted her, "Oh no. Don't even try to play that card again."

She gave me those _god damn_ puppy dog eyes she knows I can't resist, "Fine. What's in it for me?"

"Anything you want," she replied with a mischievous grin.

"You're so getting it for this, Vega," I muttered as I got up.

As I went over to help Kevin, I just barely heard Brad quietly talking to Ben, "Whatd'ya think she bribed her with?"

Feeling rather mischievous myself, I shouted an answer back to Brad, "Sex."

Kevin grinned as he tried to stifle a laugh, as I also heard one of the guys do a spit-take behind me.

"Jade!" Tori yelled at me in a scolding manner.

I turned around with an innocent smile, "Yes dear?"

She groaned in frustration and went back to what she was doing as Kevin spoke up, still laughing, "This is why you don't ask Jade to do things."

"See? Kev knows."

Tori was about to retort with something, but was cut off by knocking on the door, "Consider yourself lucky," she grumbled as she went to answer the door. I smirked in amusement and went back to lie on the couch.

A while later it was a half hour til midnight and our party was in full swing. I, unfortunately, was still sober; I curse my unbelievable alcohol tolerance sometimes. Tori came over to where I was obnoxiously taking up the majority of the couch and laid on top of me, practically falling asleep.

"Why is it that I'm only tired on nights where it's crucial to stay awake?" She mumbled.

"Why do you even want to stay awake so bad?" I asked curiously.

She looked at me strangely, "Because I want to kiss you at midnight?"

I rolled my eyes and got up, making her almost fall on the floor, before going to the kitchen and coming back over to her with a Monster, "Drink it."

_Big mistake._

25 minutes later I was leaning against the wall watching my handy work when Kevin came over, "What did you give her?" I pointed to the now empty Monster can and he shook his head, "Why would you ever do that?"

I laughed, "Cause she needed to stay awake and I needed a giggle."

"She's going to kill you for this in the morning."

"How would she even know?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He tilted his head and looked over to where Brad was filming Tori on his phone.

"He is so dead…" I grumbled.

Kevin flashed a smirk eerily similar to mine, "He'll die happy."

I was about to give Kev an earful, but Vega came running over to me, "Jade! They're doing the countdown!"

"Oh goodness gracious that's fantastic, I'm so glad you told me."

"Do you want to know what my New Year's resolution is?" She asked with a devilish grin.

I sighed, but couldn't suppress my smirk at her dorkiness, "Enlighten me."

She leaned closer to me and whispered a little _too_ seductively in my ear, "Have sex with you _every _day."

_Goodbye control._

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush against me, kissing her just as everyone yelled "Happy New Year!"

_2014 here I come._

* * *

**A/N: Catching up a bit here and setting the stage for what's to come. I know my destination, it's just hard to see the road at the moment...**

**I actually did have a friend who once had this reaction to Monster, ultra-hyper seductive type reaction. Quite a giggle, that was.**

**Regardless, hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, they're cool.**

**P.S. If you can find the easter egg hidden in this chapter, your level of awesomeness will be through the roof. I had fun with that one.**


	19. Switching Gears

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Would've uploaded this yesterday, but apparently my FanFic's havin' some issues. Trying out Ben's POV, see how it goes.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

I awoke on what I think was a Friday morning to an unusual amount of screaming and yelling coming from the living room. I sighed when I realized I was in bed alone. As I was putting on my clothes I heard Brad shout something and Tori laughing. _Oh for the love of god, what is she doing now?_

I walked out to the living room and couldn't suppress a laugh as I saw Tori on the floor on top of Brad, with him locked in a Kimura.

"Good god, what's going on?" I asked Kevin, who was sitting on the couch watching with an amused expression.

"Brad said that men are stronger than women," He replied simply.

Tori looked up at me with a triumphant smirk and I knelt down to Brad's level, "Still think men are stronger than women?"

"NO!" He cried out in pain.

I laughed and stood back up, "Alright babe, go easy on him. Still need him to be able to play tonight."

She released him and stood up while he rolled over and grasped his arm in pain, "Why did I ever invite you to live with us," he grumbled.

"Because you're sweet like that," Tori responded with a smile as she followed me to the couch, settling in my lap.

With a scoff he replied, "Yeah, let's go with that."

"Is there another reason?" She asked with a challenging eyebrow.

**Ben's POV**

Waking up to noise is nice, means other people are up and I don't have to cook. _Apparently I'm up pretty late today, sounds like everyone's up._

As I walked out into the living room to go to the kitchen to get some food, I saw one of the most comical things ever.

Brad was on the floor writhing in pain, as Tori had him in a guillotine choke, and Jade was in the midst of an ankle lock. I looked to Kevin who was taking a drink from his root beer to keep from laughing.

"What's going on?" I questioned as I watched the girls beat up on Brad.

"Started with Brad saying men are stronger than women, to which Tori put him in a Kimura; that's when Jade walked out. He proceeded to stick his foot in his mouth a second time by saying he was hoping he could get in Tori's pants by inviting her to live here. Neither were very happy with that one, and that's what began this round of ass-whipping."

I looked back to where Brad was furiously tapping out and the girls finally released him. Jade and Tori exchanged amused grins before Tori took on a thoughtful look, "His comment reminds me…"

She got up, pulling Jade up with her and then dragging her into their room.

"What was that all about?"

Kevin looked back to me, still laughing, "You don't want to know."

**Tori's POV**

"Day three complete," Jade said as she laid down next to me.

"Best New Year's resolution ever."

Turning over to face me, Jade asked quietly, "So what makes you think we'll be together for the entire year to fulfill this resolution?"

It was actually a good question, and it definitely got me thinking, and not just about not completing the resolution. _What if she's right? What if we don't stay together? _But as easily as the questions bombarded my mind, they were answered.

"Because I want to stay with you for as long as you'll have me."

She took a moment to process what I had said, "Is forever okay?"

I smiled and kissed her, "Sounds just fine to me."

After we completed day three twofold, we finally dragged ourselves out of bed and got dressed for the concert. As we walked out into the living room, I was looking down at my phone when I felt Jade's arm come across my stomach, effectively halting me.

"What?" I asked, looking up at her, seeing a mixture of annoyance, anger, and shock on her face. I followed her eyes to the living room, where Kevin was sitting with my sister.

"Hey baby sis." _Are you kidding me?_

"What do you want, Trina?" I asked bitterly.

She looked down at the floor sadly before returning her saddened gaze to me, "Look, I don't want to be on a bad note with you. I just want you to know I backed out of my part in that lawsuit a long time ago. I'm sorry for what I did and I just wanted to make it up to you."

Ignoring my annoyance at her and listening to the small logical part in me, I toned down my bitterness and responded, "How exactly do you plan to do that?"

She cleared her throat and glanced over to Kevin, "Kevin here told me about your new record deal audition."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you had talked to me at all recently, you'd know my boyfriend is a producer at Revel."

It took a moment for her words to sink in, "So?"

"What would you say if I said I sent him a link to your website, and he's heard your music?"

Jade cut in, "You're the one who sent us that letter?"

"Surprise."

Kevin, Jade, and I exchanged curious glances before Kevin spoke up, "What's the catch?"

She shrugged, "The catch is you have to play damn good tonight, 'cause tonight's your audition."

My mouth dropped open in shock, as well as Kevin's, but Jade was still holding her scowl, "Our audition is Monday."

"Your audition _was_ Monday. All I want is my sister back, and if that means copious sexual favors for my boyfriend to even consider my offer, I'm all for it," she blatantly replied. _Well that's nice._

Jade was about to retort something I knew would put us in deep shit, so I put my hand over her mouth and told my sister, "We'll take the audition. But we want a real shot, got it?"

"If that's what you want, sis. And Jade, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot; I had a bad impression of you before you even came into my sister's life, and it clouded my judgment."

I was shocked my sister was even apologizing to _me_, but now I was just baffled but insanely happy. I ran over to Trina and jumped on her, giving her a long overdue hug.

I heard Jade walk over to the door as she interrupted our moment, "Trina, you're coming with me."

My sister pulled away from me with a puzzled expression, "Why?"

"Because we need to talk."

She reluctantly got up and followed Jade out of the house, a few seconds later I heard the distinct sound of the Mustang starting up and pulling away at Jade's usual ridiculous speed.

I looked over to Kevin, "What just happened?"

He gave me a smirk, "Your sister gave us a shot at a record deal."

"Well duh, why did she just leave with Jade though?" He shrugged, "Beats me."

**Jade's POV**

As I sped down the country roads, I smirked as I saw Trina out of the corner of my eye holding onto the 'oh shit!' handle with a terrified expression.

"Scared?" I asked, amused.

"You drive like a maniac!" She spat out.

I laughed, "I've heard."

"Why am I even here?" She inquired, still scared shitless by my driving.

"How's Tori's relationship with her parents?"

Trina looked at me with a confused expression, "What? She hasn't told you?"

I shrugged, "Hasn't come up."

"It's fine I guess. They're a bit pissed she's been absent lately though. Why?"

"Do they know about me?" Long shot, but need to know.

She looked bemused, "I think so…"

"Cool. Where's their house?"

"Why…"

I smirked, "'Cause I need to have a chat with your father."

"Uhm…You know he's a cop, right?"

"I've heard."

She sighed, "You get in trouble and it's not my fault. Take a left here."

A good 10 minutes later I was pulling up to a rather nice looking house, "Stay in the car."

I walked up to the door, knocking three times then stepping back. I was actually pretty nervous, believe it or not. I mean, hell, I'm meeting my girlfriend's parents for the first time, and without her.

What I'm assuming is her father opened the door, eyeing me cautiously, "Can I help you?"

"Jade!" I heard a woman's voice come from behind him as I was about to respond.

Her father turned around, "Holly, you know her?"

"Of course! This is Tori's girlfriend," the woman, apparently Tori's mother, responded as she pushed her husband aside to let me in.

The house was pretty nice, but I barely had time to look around before her father got right down to business, "Is there any particular reason you're here, Jade?"

I took a deep breath as I summoned up my courage and turned to face him, "I want to marry your daughter."

**Kevin's POV**

The guys, Tori, and I were chilling on the couches, taking turns playing each other in CoD while we waited for Jade to come back. As I was in the middle of a match with Ben, my phone buzzed with a text, I looked and saw it was from Jade, "Hey Tor, you wanna answer that for me?"

She picked up my phone and read over the text; as I landed a perfect snipe on Ben, Tori shouted, "What?!"

After I got through with my boasting, I turned to her, "What?"

She showed the phone to me.

_**Just talked to Tori's parents, won't have time to stop at home; drive her to Pierce?**_

With a curious eyebrow I looked back to Tori, "What's the big deal?"

"She's never met my parents before. She kidnaps my sister then goes to talk to my parents?"

"Bah, chill out. She wouldn't do anythin' drastic."

Tori sighed and handed me my phone, "Guess not, but it's 7:30, we leavin' soon?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

We left, Ben driving himself and Brad in their car while I dove Tori in my truck. We made it to Pierce, after Tori's continuous "You drive so slow" comments.

"There you guys are! Was wonderin' why West came here alone," Dean greeted us with his usual grin.

We greeted him with the same enthusiasm, ecstatic to get on with our audition. I walked in and saw Jade at the bar, her usual pre-show Adams in hand, "Hey guys, why don't you go to the back and get ready? I'm gonna see what Jade's been up to."

They nodded, Tori stopping by the bar to give Jade a kiss before going back stage, "Hey Kev, thanks for driving Tori for me, had some business to take care of."

"No problem, kiddo. Whatcha been up to?"

"Ah, not much, had a little chat with Tori's parents, mainly her father."

I raised an eyebrow at that, "Why's that?"

"I, uh, reconsidered your proposition after an interesting conversation with Tori."

"Yeah?" I asked, not quite sure what she was talking about.

She drained her bottle and looked back to me with her signature smirk, "Asked her dad, Hell, asked both of her parents, and I got permission; I'm gonna ask Tori to marry me."

I'm fairly sure my eyes bugged out of my head and my jaw landed on the bar; I was floored, "You're what?"

Jade laughed, "You told me to."

"I didn't think you actually would!"

"Surprise," She responded with her smirk still firmly in place. I laughed and shook my head, _that's Jade._

"What happened to marriage is 'rushing things'?"

She shrugged, "I don't move slow, Kev."

* * *

**A/N: Damn, I switched POV's quite a few times in this one. Trina's probably a bit OOC here as well, but needed such an attitude to move things forward. So yeah, maybe I'm jumpin' the gun a bit, but I'm ending this story soon and needed this advancement. Hope this turned out alright anyway, and let me know your thoughts.**


	20. Claiming Forever

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: I'd just like to start this out with some completely unrelated information; I _hate_ snow! It's made a game out of knocking out my power, so I apologize for the lateness. So yeah, last chapter they found out Trina was behind the record deal, and Jade went and talked to Mr. CopDad about marrying Tori, here's the cleanup!**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"You're kidding, right?" I asked, completely astounded.

"Only if you want me to be."

"Why us though?" Kevin, who was standing beside me, inquired.

The man laughed, "You kids are the greatest young talent I've ever seen; I'm surprised you've gotten this far without a major record deal."

I couldn't suppress my proud grin now, "So you're giving us a record deal _and_ letting us manage ourselves?"

"You got it, kid."

"Kev, tell me this isn't a dream."

"It's a dream come true, kiddo."

The man, Dennis, cleared his throat and hesitantly spoke up, "So I've been made aware of a…'relationship' within the band."

I raised a curious eyebrow as I looked back to him, "Which are you referring to? The friendships between all of us, the brother-sister thing between Kev and I, or the whole girlfriends thing with me and Vega?"

"I'm glad you all have some type of relationship with one another, and the brother-sister thing should be an interesting marketing technique, but the relationship between you and your girlfriend is what I was referring to," he responded with a chuckle.

"Is that going to be a problem?"

Dennis looked thoughtful for a moment, "It could be. It certainly isn't for me, but for the audience, maybe."

I looked to Kevin, "What should we do, Kev?"

"People will be fine with you two. I think the biggest problem would be that you two are dating each other, therefore making both of the chicks of the band off limits."

Just then, Tori walked up, giving Dennis a hug, "Denny! I haven't seen you in forever! How'd you like the show?"

"Hey kid! It was great; you guys have some serious potential. We're just discussing some minor details at the moment," he responded with a friendly smile.

"Minor details, huh? What would those be?" Tori asked as she wrapped her arm around my waist, to which I reciprocated by doing the same.

"Ah, marketing issues and such…" he trailed off as he looked towards the stage. That was when I realized Kevin wasn't standing next to me anymore, and he was actually up on the stage again.

"Hey guys! How's everyone doing this evening?" Kevin shouted through the microphone in his usual friendly manner. The crowd responded with bustling applause at his appearance.

He continued, "So hey, if Social Revolution were to get a record deal, would you guys bomb our sales if we were to make it public that there was a same-sex relationship amongst the band?"

Tori looked to me, wide-eyed, to which I gave her an 'I had nothing to do with this' look. But much to our surprise, the late night partiers replied with usual drunken vulgar, "FUCK NO!"

Kevin pointed over to us, and suddenly all eyes were on Tori and I, "I'm going to kill your brother," Tori whispered to me.

* * *

**Tori's POV**

A couple days later I awoke to an empty bed, checking my phone, I figured out it was actually pretty late in the day. But come on, you sleep late when you're up late. I got dressed and went out to the living room where Kevin was playing Skyrim on the PS3. He was failing miserably in a brawl with Uthgerd (_really Kevin?_), so after I stole the controller from him and whipped her ass, I settled myself in the corner of the couch to check my Facebook.

"Hey Kevin, where'd Jade go?" I asked as I typed in my information.

"She's out with your sister," he mumbled as he took the controller back.

I looked up at him curiously, "Why?"

"I'm not allowed to say."

"Oh, she's killing her?" I said with a laugh.

He chuckled, "You could say that."

A few minutes later I heard the unmistakable sound of the Mustang's engine, followed by the garage door opening, then about 20 seconds later the door opened. Jade and Trina walked in, and Jade went right over to Kevin, whispering something to him, to which he paused his game and followed her to his room.

Trina sat in Kevin's spot as I picked up the controller and continued his game, "So what've you been up to, Trin?"

"Just went out with Jade, nothing major," Trina responded nonchalantly.

After a while I nearly had the life scared out of me as I was concentrating on lining up a snipe on a skeleton and I suddenly heard Jade's voice in my ear, "Hey baby, you want to go out to dinner?"

"Fucking shit!" I grumbled as I jumped and completely messed up my shot. I could hear Jade's laughter behind me and I couldn't help but laugh as well, "Yeah, let's go."

As I got up I saw Trina had this dumbfounded look on her face, "What?"

"Since when do you swear like that?!" She sputtered.

I laughed, "Since I met Jade."

"You're welcome," Jade said sarcastically as she walked to our room.

To Jade's orders, I got dressed up all extravagant for the fancy-pants restaurant she was taking me to. As Jade and I walked out to go to the car, Brad, who was sitting on the couch watching Kevin, decided to cat-call to us. I moved to go put some other kind of submission on him, 'cause that's just too damn fun, but Jade stopped me, "It's not worth it, don't get yourself all Brad-ified."

As we drove to the restaurant, I asked Jade, "So what's the special occasion?"

She smirked, "Must preserve some secrets, mustn't we?"

Dinner was great, and I assume expensive as hell. The restaurant was some super-duper fancy Italian restaurant, like the kinds you see on TV. After dinner we came home to change clothes and switch cars before going up to the mountain.

There's always been a certain serenity that's come with a spot secluded from the entire world; a place that I can share with that one special person in my life. A spot that used to be someone's safe haven from the troubles of the outside world, but they've trusted me enough to let me in. As I lay down on the blanket we have spread out on the grass, staring up at the unusually starry night sky, it's these thoughts that cross my mind.

"What're you thinkin' about?" Jade asked me quietly as she held onto my hand.

"I'm just wondering how I ever got to be so lucky."

She traced her fingers along my arm, "I wonder that a lot too."

After a while of comfortable silence, she spoke up again in a soft voice, "How much do you love me?"

It came out before I could even think about it, "More than words could ever describe." It wasn't a lie, at all; I've never loved anything or anyone so much. I was curious for her answer though, "How much do you love me?"

She was quiet for a moment before I felt her shift a little bit, and as I looked over at her, she handed me a small box, "This much."

I went to open the box, curious if she had gotten me that necklace I'd been eyeing for a few weeks now, but as it opened and revealed the diamond ring, my breath caught in my throat.

She sat up and looked at me, "That conversation we had the other day got me thinking, it really wasn't fair for me to claim forever. But I thought a lot about it, what Kevin said to me, what I said myself, all the stuff with this new record deal. I mean, I've always wanted a record deal, that's been the goal since we came into the business, but who knew that everything I needed came in the form of some naïve girl I was destined to corrupt. Honestly though, you are what I've always needed, and I really can't imagine my life without you anymore. I don't know what's in store for my future, but all I know is I want you there. When I said forever, I meant forever, and this is my proof that I mean it. I love you more than anything in the world, and I always will. Victoria, will you marry me?"

I was literally shocked into silence, just looking back and forth between Jade and the ring she was offering me. Finally regaining control over my actions, a huge smile took over my face as I pounced on top of her, expressing my answer as best I could in a kiss.

As I pulled away just long enough to answer, my happiness completely took over my voice, "Yes, yes, yes, absolutely yes."

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

As soon as the sound of the Mustang's engine faded, Brad looked to me, "Aight, what's up?"

I laughed, "Jade and Tori may or may not come back engaged."

Both Ben and Brad's mouths dropped open in shock, "What?!" Brad shouted.

"Brad, if it makes you feel any better, you never had a chance anyway," I said, barely suppressing an amused grin.

"I could've!"

Ben burst out laughing, "Please, Tori's so gay she can't even drive straight." I couldn't hold in my laughter at that point.

Brad started pouting, but eventually couldn't keep up the gimmick and joined us in laughing.

"Either way, I'm happy for 'em. Jade deserves it, and I'm sure Tor does too," I managed to get out when I finally contained my laughter.

"Agreed. I guess if I can't have her, Jade's good too," Brad said, earning a punch in the arm from Ben. "Ow. Anyway, there was something I wanted to show you guys," he added as he pulled out his phone.

"Whatcha got?" I asked, looking over at his screen.

He showed me what appeared to be the profile for a dog at the local animal shelter, "Name's Motley. He's a black lab-Heinz 57."

"Okay…?"

"Cmon man! Let's get a dog!"

I glanced at Ben, who looked thoughtful, "We'll keep it in mind, let's see what's gonna happen with this new record deal first, aight? Can't be gettin' a dog then leavin' it for weeks on end."

After that we spent the rest of the night playing various games on the PS3 and eating tacos that Ben went to go get.

The next morning I woke up to what sounded like Brad shouting, assuming Tori was about to snap his arm again, I quickly got out of bed and got dressed before heading out to the living room. I saw Tori and Jade sitting on the couch in their gamer-mode positions, as Brad and Ben were on the other couch cheering them on.

I accidentally distracted Jade, allowing Tori to sneak up behind her and stab her with a knife, "Fuck you Kev!"

"Thanks Kevin!" Tori laughed.

I raised my hands in an 'I'm innocent' gesture as I moved to the kitchen to get my breakfast. Going to sit back down on the couch, I finally noticed Tori's hand as she was playing a rematch with Jade.

"Damn, that's one hell of a rock you got there, Tor."

She looked down at it and smiled, "I know." The brief distraction was enough for Jade to land a perfect snipe on her.

"There, you're even now," I said, nonchalantly taking a bite of my bacon.

"You suck," she grumbled as Jade grinned.

I laughed, "Seriously though, I'm happy for you. You too, kiddo," I added with a pointed look towards Jade, to which she actually gave me a genuine smile.

"Thanks Kev, now shut up so we can actually have a fair match," she responded with an obvious 'I'm joking' tone.

I did as she asked, and they had a fair match which lasted about 8 minutes before Tori managed to land some solid hits on Jade with an M16.

"Tori! How dare you gun down your fiancé!" Ben shouted in mock disbelief.

She shrugged, "It was me or her."

Jade scoffed, carrying on the gimmick, before Brad spoke up, "So Jade…"

"No," she said, cutting him off.

"You didn't even let me finish!" He protested.

She sighed, "Alright, Brad. What do you want?"

"What do you think about getting a dog?" He asked with a childish pleading look.

She tilted her head in confusion, "We already have one."

Tori immediately understood where she was going with that one, "Hush, Jade. I'm all for getting a dog if we can take it on tour with us or something." Jade's insult went right over Brad's head and he grinned widely at Tori's response.

Jade frowned at Tori before answering Brad, "I'm fine with a dog, but we're naming it Aerosmith."

I laughed and nodded, "I like that. I'm down with Aerosmith."

Ben laughed, "The one Brad picked is already named Motley, that'd be a bit confusing."

"One hair metal band to another, I think we're good," Tori commented.

I turned back to Brad to give him the OK, but he was already on the phone with the shelter asking them to reserve the dog.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

As I lay on the couch watching this rerun of CSI, Tori cuddled up to me, there's a certain something that seems to get to me._ Oh yeah, I know what it is. I'm holding my __**fiancé**__!_ Last night was incredible to say the least; I took Tori out to this super fancy restaurant, then we went up to the mountain where I proposed and she said _yes_.

If you want total honesty, I do not give a single fuck about the record deal at this moment. _I'm marrying __**Tori**_ _for fuck's sake!_ I smiled and pulled Tori closer to me and kissed her.

"What was that for?" She asked with the same smile.

"I don't know, I just kind of love you."

* * *

**A/N: Fluff. Fluff is good. The girls are engaged, they've got a solid record deal where they're their _own_ manager, and who knows, maybe a four-legged friend is on the horizon.**

******In case you missed it, the dog names are both band names; Aerosmith of course being Aerosmith, with Motley representing ****Mötley Crüe.**

**********One last thing, I _am_ planning a sequel for this story. Fear not, the story is nowhere near over.**


	21. A Visit from the Devil

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Apologies for the late chapter, real life issues. I'll start this by repeating and slightly contradicting myself, this story isn't supposed to be very dramatic, but this chapter kind of negates that in every form. I got this idea and it wouldn't leave me alone, so I hope it's cool anyway.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

Sitting around two of the high tables by the big front windows of Pierce, sipping on a complementary round of screwdrivers, we were winding down after our concert. We were in the midst of working out the kinks of our recording contract, tour dates, locations, and such. We were planning on staying mostly national, maybe international if things work out that way.

As I was looking over a list of dates and locations Kev had assembled on his phone, I got a text on my own from Tori.

_**Help!**_

I looked over to the bar, where she was supposed to be getting another round, but apparently got stopped by a dude.

"Hang on, Kev. Got somethin' to take care of." He looked at me curiously, so I pointed over to the bar and he laughed, "Don't kill nobody."

With a dismissive wave of my hand, I set off towards the bar. As I approached, the guy's eyes locked on, well, where they shouldn't be.

"Hey perv, eyes are up here," I said in an annoyed tone. Tori immediately looked over to me and sighed in relief.

He gave us a really creepy grin, "Hey, hotstuff, you know her?"

I narrowed my eyes, "We do know each other, very well in fact."

The guy, who was obviously drunk out of his mind, decided it'd be a brilliant idea to go in for the kill by moving in to kiss Tori. I immediately intercepted him, grabbing his right arm and twisting it behind his back in a perfect hammerlock. Tori and I have a thing for submission holds.

He screamed in pain, begging me to let him go. I laughed, "You gonna leave my fiancé alone?"

"Yes!" I let him go and shoved him away, which only assisted in his high-tailing escape.

"Can't take you anywhere," Tori said with a laugh.

I shrugged, "There're limits."

We went back to our tables where I got a high-five from Kevin, "Dude! That was awesome!"

"You went all Bruno Sammartino on his ass!" Brad added excitedly.

"I dunno, Sammartino usually applied that on the ground, standing it's more commonly used by cops," Tori commented.

Brad rolled his eyes, "You and your logic."

"You and your lack of logic," She retorted with a grin.

"Jade, your fiancé is being mean to me," Brad jokingly whined to me.

"Sounds like a you problem." I said with a smirk

Ben and Kevin laughed while Brad muttered, "I hate you."

We decided to retire for the night and all headed home. When we got back Kevin went to the kitchen to make us some Mai Tai's while the rest of us readied the PS3 for a CoD marathon. Two hours, three rounds, and many streams of swear words later, the guys were completely out and Tori and I were heading to our room.

We both got changed and settled into bed. Taking up our usual routine of checking random shit on our phones before bed, we were both quiet for a while until Tori spoke up, "Looks like Anderson's doin' better."

I laughed, "He better, can't have the best MMA fighter in history knock himself out of the game."

She went and played the trailer again of UFC 168, she loves that, "Why does this song sound familiar?" She asked, just external thinking.

I listened for a moment, before pulling up the Shazam app on my phone, and asking her to replay the video. It came through as _Happy Together_ by Filter.

"Oh for the love of god…" I muttered.

Tori laughed and went to play the song, and it took us less than 30 seconds to realize they had used a _love song_ for a _UFC _pay-per-view.

"This is absolutely brilliant," Tori said, barely containing her laughter.

I decided to put my phone away, and Tori soon followed suit. The only light being the strings of green lights we had put up around the top edges of the room as we settled down for the night.

Suddenly she spoke up, "Jade?"

"Hmm?" I sleepily replied.

"I love you."

I smiled and pulled her over to me for a kiss, "I love you too."

* * *

The next night at Pierce we were sitting around a big circular booth talking about random stuff while sipping bottles of Sam Adams. Brad had gotten his way and we were going to look at dogs tomorrow. The guys were working on writing a new song, while Tori and I were watching an MMA best submissions video. We were laughing at the guys crying out in pain, being reminded of how we've made other people do that.

"Well, well, look who it is…" We heard the slightly slurred voice of practically the last person we ever wanted to see.

"Didn't think we'd see you guys again," there's the last one we ever wanted to see again.

I looked up to see Ryder and Emma being all friendly while looking at us with contempt. I laughed, "Oh look, Hades and Persephone have decided to grace us with their presence, and to what do we owe this honor?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "Cute, Jade, real cute."

I smiled, "I'm known for that."

"Do you guys need something or do you really have nothing better to do?" Tori asked.

Emma scoffed, "Like you're worth the time of day, just thought I'd come say hello to Jade here."

I jumped up and charged straight at her, barely retaining enough control to keep my hands off of her, "You watch how you speak to her!"

I backed off a little bit as she said, "Or what?"

I stood there for a moment, trying to keep my anger in check, before the bitch had the audacity to _slap me_. I let go of my attempts at control and grabbed her neck, slamming her against the wall. I about knocked her lights out a second time, before I remembered the trouble it almost got me in last time.

"You always did like it rough," she spat at me. _Oh fuck you._

I abruptly felt myself being pulled off of her, "Stop, she's not worth it," I heard Tori say to me. I gave up my struggle and Tori and I decided to leave Pierce to prevent any further conflict. The car ride home was quiet, Tori didn't say a word until we got home. As we walked inside, she simply walked to our room without a word or even a glance in my direction. I was honestly wondering if I had really upset her.

I sighed and went to the kitchen, finding myself an emotion blocker in the form of my stash of 190 proof Everclear. Normally, I wouldn't bring out such a stiff drink, but this situation calls for desperate measures, I just need to sleep. This shit has a tendency to knock me out in no time, sounds good right about now. I poured a decent amount into a glass and took a sip, the potent liquor searing my throat.

I felt my mind begin to cloud up, and I was content. Usually my alcohol tolerance is enough to keep me sober, but this shit shoots that to pieces. I went to go sit on the couch, turning on the TV to see if anything interesting was on. I found the near 24/7 Law and Order channel and kicked back, readying to pass out anytime.

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

We left the bar soon after Jade and Tori did, Ben and Brad immediately went to their room and went to bed, while I went to go see if Jade was still alive on the couch. I wasn't blind, I could see she had gotten out the Everclear, as to why, I wasn't sure.

I went to her and Tori's room, knocking on the door and receiving a faint, "You know how to use doors." _Good to see traumatic experiences haven't tempered her attitude._

"Hey kid, you doin' alright?" I asked as I opened the door.

"Let me guess, Jade's passed out?" She answered with a question.

I sighed and nodded, not that she could see it, "Yeah, what's going on?"

I went to go sit on the edge of the bed as she muttered "Can't ever have a quiet night, can we?"

"Sorry, that's not part of the deal," I responded lightheartedly.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, "I knew that when I started dating Jade, hell, I knew that when I agreed to marry her, but for fuck's sake, come on. Really is upsetting how Jade decided to knock herself out instead of bothering to see how I was, as stupid as that sounds…I mean I had to see _Ryder_ again tonight, and she goes and gets in a fight with her ex."

I laughed, "She tends to run from her problems more often than facing them, 'cause when she actually does face them she goes balls to the wall and usually gets herself in trouble. It's just habit these days, I guess. And you know she was just being protective, it's her thing."

"I'm a problem?"

"If you want me to be blatantly honest, yes, though she'd never admit that. I mean come on; before, she lived off of one-night-stands because she couldn't stomach the fact of having to deal with the obligations of a real relationship. She heard the L word and she took off like a shot, and the M word was just a legend. Tori, you are her biggest problem. But you're the best kinda problem to have. Those are her words by the way, and if you chew her out for this I won't tell you anything ever again."

She fell back on the bed with a heavy sigh, "Can you bring her to bed?"

"One passed out drunk coming right up," I said as I walked out to retrieve my sister.

I poked her a few times, satisfied that she was completely knocked out; I threw her over my shoulder and carried her to her room.

"Here you go, and goodnight."

* * *

The next morning I woke up to an unusually quiet house. _Oh great, I have to cook._ I got up and got dressed, walking out in the living room to see Jade sitting on the couch, doing absolutely nothing. She was sitting in the corner of the couch just looking at the wall. Her eyes moved to me for a fraction of a second, but quickly moved away.

"You alright kiddo?" I asked hesitantly. She didn't say anything, just nodded towards the coffee table, where there was a folded up piece of paper. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as I looked at the paper.

_**Jade,**_

_**I have to leave, and I'm not coming back. For your own good, don't look for me, I'll be just fine. **_

I looked to Jade, who looked absolutely distraught, "I woke up this morning and she was gone. I found that on the nightstand."

I was confused beyond belief. _Tori would never leave Jade…would she?_

"I talked to her last night before I took you to bed, she seemed fine…" I was cut off by Brad, who walked into the living room, greeting me, and then giving a strange look to Jade.

"Huh, didn't think you'd be back this early," he said as he went to the kitchen, probably to check for breakfast.

Jade looked as confused as I felt, "What are you talking about?"

He raised a curious eyebrow, "You and Tori left last night, didn't you?"

"No…We both went right to bed…why?"

He bit his lip nervously, "Well uh, Tori left with someone last night… Guess I assumed it was you."

"What did you see?" I asked.

"Didn't see nothin', just heard some banging around, then the front door opening and closing and a car driving off. What's going on?"

Jade and I exchanged an 'oh fuck' look, "Call me crazy, but I don't think she left voluntarily, kiddo." She simply shook her head.

**Jade's POV**

I was _irate_, someone took my Tori. Someone had the audacity to take Tori from me, while I was passed out in the same fucking room! I was ready to open up a can of whoop-ass on whoever had such insolence.

I got up and went to my room, calling Trina as I got dressed.

"Jade? Whats up?" She asked when she picked up.

"Do you know where Tori is?" I rushed out as I went to get my car keys, which weren't where I left them on the kitchen counter last night.

"What? No, why?" She asked, suddenly sounding fully alert.

"She left last night while everyone was asleep. I have no idea where she is and I have a sickening feeling that she didn't leave on her own. That and my fucking car keys are gone!" I shouted out the last part not directly to her.

"You've got like a billion cars, take a different one! And I'll call my Dad," Trina said.

I hung up and went back to my room to get the keys to the Edge, much to my dismay, those were gone too. I groaned in frustration and went back out to the living room, "Kevin I need your keys."

He went and got his jacket, and frantically searched all the pockets, coming up empty, "They're gone!"

"You've got to be kidding me," I grumbled as I rushed over to the bowl on the kitchen counter where we keep all the spare keys_, and oh look, they're all gone!_

"What the fuck!" I shouted, completely pissed.

I looked to Kevin, who was suddenly struck with a thought, "Spare keys in my bedroom, Tori didn't know about those so they're probably still there. There's a key to the Mustang."

I ran over to his room and looked in his desk where he kept his important stuff, finally locating the one god damn set of keys still left in the house. I went back to my room and got my new gun from the nightstand and loaded it, pushing past Kevin on my way out, "I'll be back."

* * *

**A/N: Eeek. I like Badass Jade, what can I say. I know I have a reoccurring problem with rushing things, but as of late things were supposed to be that way, especially here. That being said, I'll be back soon with the next chapter.**

**The names Jade referred to Ryder and Emma by (Hades and Persephone) are Greek Gods; Hades is the God of the Underworld, Persephone is his consort and the Queen of the Underworld.**

**The conversation Tori and Jade had is all true, Anderson Silva (alleged best MMA fighter in history) -may have- retired himself due to a technically self-inflicted injury at UFC 168. The song _Happy Together_ actually was the song used in a commercial promo for said show.**

**Lastly, the phrase "open up a can of whoop-ass" belongs to the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise and/or Stone Cold Steve Austin. Can you guys tell I have a thing for wrestling/MMA?**


	22. Blood On My Hands

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N****: So last time, we ended with Jade going all badass mode going to save her fiancé. Rescue mission ensue.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

After driving around for an hour or so, checking various places I thought she may be, I was getting increasingly hopeless. I decided to call up Trina again, hoping she had gotten ahold of her father.

"Hey Jade, I've got good news and I've got bad news," she said.

I sighed, "I'm really concerned how much worse it could be at this point. Choose for me."

"Well, the good news is, the police do know where Tori is, well kind of."

"Kind of?" I was somewhat hopeful at her words.

"And they also know who she's with…"

I groaned in frustration at her dramatic pauses, "For the love of god, Trina, spit it out!"

She sighed, "They had reports of a woman matching her description boarding a flight heading to Hermosillo, Mexico early this morning."

"She…But…"

"Oh no, it gets better. I didn't even tell you who she was with."

My heart sank, "Who."

"It begins and ends with vowels." _Oh my god._

* * *

**Kevin's POV**

About two hours after Jade left, I was sitting in the living room waiting for her to come back after making some calls. Jade abruptly swung open the door and stomped into the room, slamming the door to finalize the announcement of her arrival.

"Kevin!" _Oh man._

"Yes?"

She suddenly came into view, only to make a beeline for the nearest wall, putting a very nice hole through it with little to no effort before completely losing it, "EMMA TOOK HER! TO FUCKING MEXICO! THAT STUPID FUCKING WHORE TOOK MY TORI TO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COUNTRY! I'M GOING TO KILL HER, THEN LEARN WITCHCRAFT TO RESURRECT HER SO I CAN KILL HER AGAIN!"_ Something tells me she's angry._

I got up and cautiously made my way over to her, "Jade, calm down, please. You can't be doin' anything in this state of mind."

She just shook off my words and continued seething in anger. I decided to try a different approach, "You aren't going to be able to do anything _legal_ to save Tori in this state, so chill your shit and let's think about this like rational folk, aight?"

"I don't care about _legal!_ I won't rest until Emma is six feet under!" Jade spat back at me.

I sighed, "Damn, you really are stupid when you're angry. If you do anything _illegal, _the only other time you'll ever see Tori again is through bars, do you want that?"

She finally gave up, "Fine, I won't kill her, but I'm going to find Tori."

"Thank you, I'm coming with you." I said as I walked to my room.

She shook her head, "You have five minutes."

I rushed to pack some necessities for the short trip, including passports, a gun for myself, and ammunition, before I went back out to the living room and wrote a note for Ben and Brad. After that, Jade was quick to rush me out the door. As I got in the car, I noticed Jade had gotten herself a police scanner, which she utilized to the fullest to keep the cops off her tail and keep herself at full speed.

"So Jade, not that I'm not, but why are you so dead set on finding Tori?" I asked.

She didn't even hesitate, "Because I love her."

I laughed, "Are you sure you don't want to think about that?"

She shrugged, "There's my answer."

"Why do you love her?"

It was her turn to laugh now, "Damn, you really are one for feelings."

"What can I say, I'm a romantic."

She thought about that question for a while before answering, "She's always accepted my challenges with a ferocity that nobody's ever showed me. She compliments me as much as I compliment her; I mean we're everybody's favorite clichés. The goody two-shoes and that chick you never want to take home to your parents. It works, you know?"

I laughed, "I thought you were going to say something like 'she's hot'"

"Yeah, that, and she's good in bed too. Oh man is she good in bed…" I immediately cut her off by turning on the radio extremely loud, to which I barely heard her laughing. I was pretty proud of myself at that moment for turning around her bad mood.

A while later we were at the LAX getting our tickets for a flight to Hermosillo. They told us we had about 15 minutes to wait, to which Jade almost strangled the poor man. I finally got her to come sit down and we waited very impatiently for what seemed like forever.

"This is taking forever!" Jade whined.

"It's only been three minutes, calm down."

Eventually a voice came over the intercom, "All passengers for flight DL 5037 now boarding."

"Woo! Let's go." Jade said, hopping up and heading toward the terminal. I followed behind, periodically apologizing to the people she shoved out of the way.

Of course we about got it up the ass from airport security when we forgot about our guns. Though with our undeniable West charm, we easily got ourselves out of that mess and were able to move on after we unloaded them and had them locked up. After much bitching and complaining on Jade's part over the severe nuisance that is airport security, we got to our seats, thankfully away from any screaming babies, annoying little girls, or snoring guys with boundary issues. If Jade doesn't count me, that is.

Jade spent the entirety of the flight starring out the window, seeming to be lost in thought, her facial expression unreadable. Just before we landed I tried once more to get a word out of her, "Hey, kiddo, we're almost there. You gonna be alright?"

She sighed deeply and tore her gaze away from the window to look at me, "I'm gonna talk to Dad and and try to get a loan, we're gonna buy a new house, not in the middle of nowhere, get a top notch security system. I'm _never_ letting this happen again."

I nodded, "I'm with you, but you already knew that."

An hour later, give or take a few minutes, we had made it past the Mexican airport security. Guns back in our possession, we flagged down a taxi and headed to the nearest place to rent a car. Jade picked out, of course, the fastest thing they offered her. As she was admiring her new rented car, I spoke to the salesman, "Hey, have you had any other customers come by here today?"

I was very thankful this guy spoke English, but didn't have any answers for me, "No, actually, you two have been the only ones so far today."

I thanked him anyway and went back to Jade, and we got in the car before deciding our next move. We drove around the city, stopping at various shops, restaurants, and gas stations to ask, but never got any solid answers, some didn't even understand English. After the last person I asked, I went back to the car, sitting back down and sighing.

As I looked over to Jade, I noticed she was on the phone, listening intently to whatever the other person was saying. Her eyes suddenly widened and a look of horror came across her face, "WHERE ARE YOU?!" She shouted.

I heard very loud maniacal laughing from the other end before the line went dead, Jade looked at the phone as if she didn't believe it was actually the device that allowed her to hear such bizarre things.

She spoke, not directly to me, but sounding numb, "'There's blood on my hands, like the blood in you. Some things can't be treated…so don't make me…don't make me be myself around you...' She's going to kill her, Kevin…"

I felt sick now, "What?"

"Blood On My Hands by The Used, she sang that to me as if it was some fucking _game_." She said as she actually started to tear up.

My big brother instincts were kicking in now, "Switch me spots, I'll drive. We're gonna find her."

* * *

**Tori's POV**

"Oh, darling, your…heh…fiance, is such a _mess_" Emma laughed cynically.

"What are you saying to her!" I shouted, desperately trying to keep up my aggressive tone, but it was beginning to falter.

She smiled and knelt down to my level, "Just…sharing my _brilliant_ plan." She grinned evilly as she brandished her knife.

I decided to go at it from a different angle. I scoffed, "You really should get a life."

Her smile instantly vanished and she stood up, kicking me, once again, before walking back to her lookout post.

I heard her voice again a while later, "I don't understand why you bother with her."

I couldn't help but laugh, "If you think that, then why do you bother?"

She turned around and gave me that same maniacal look, "Dear, I'm _insane_, I'm sure you know what that means. Mentally deranged? Nothing I do makes any sorts of sense and is just completely absurd. I'll put this in very simple terms, Jade is my obsession, you are in my way, you must be eliminated, and before you even try to attempt your bravado again, it _will _be over your dead body."

"If you care about her so much why did you leave her?" I asked, trying to keep myself from a breakdown.

"Even the insane try to get help. Sometimes, there's just no help to be found. This is one of those situations."

* * *

**Jade's POV**

We'd been driving around for hours with only a few hints and clues as to where Tori was. Kevin was driving down a somewhat busy road looking around when I got another phone call. I dreaded answering it, fearing it was from Emma again, but when I saw it was from Trina I got a little hopeful.

"Trina? What's up?"

"Hey, I think I have a location for you," she read off an address for me, which was kind of hard to spell since it was Spanish, "My Dad figured out that's a house in the name of one of Emma's late relatives, it's in the Hermosillo area so it's a good place to start."

"Thanks, talk to you later." I said as I hung up, then I spoke to Kevin, repeating the address to him as I put it in the GPS.

He sped up now that he had a destination in mind, the GPS struggling to keep up. Soon enough we came to a rough looking section of town, and we searched frantically for the correct street. Finally locating that, we looked down the entire street for the house, finally finding it at the very end. I noticed Emma's car parked slightly hidden by a bush, "Bingo."

He shut the car off a few houses back, and we got out our guns, loading them before getting out of the car and heading towards the house.

We went around the entire house scouting the perimeter, before going to the back door, checking to see if it was locked. It was, of course, but no lock a bullet can't fix. One bullet through the lock, and a solid boot to the door, and there were no more barriers.

I suddenly heard Kevin laugh behind me, "Subtlety isn't your forte is it?"

"I don't give a fuck about subtlety!" I spat back as I walked through obliterated door.

I took out my keychain flashlight and went all cop-mode, flashlight in one hand, gun in the other. We cleared the entire first floor; there wasn't a second, so that only left the basement. The lights were on down there, so I put my flashlight away, but kept the gun out.

As I descended the stairs, I saw Emma leaning against the far wall, twirling around a butterfly knife, giving me a sickening smile, "Took you long enough."

"You're so lucky murder is illegal," I snarled.

She laughed, that same maniacal laugh I heard on the phone, "Please, let's skip the foreplay."

I charged at her, slamming her against the wall and knocking the knife out of her hand, "See, you do like it rough," she barely breathed out.

I heard Tori's voice from beside me, "Hey, can you like, stop flirting with my fiancé for about two seconds please?"

Emma grinned, "One...two…Oh Jade you really are hot when you touch me like that."

"Kevin can I shoot her now?" I shouted in frustration.

"Still illegal!"

I groaned and let her go after punching her square in the jaw. I turned back to Tori, who I instantly noticed was sitting up against the wall, chained to a pole, looking very annoyed. With a newfound rage, I went over to her, examining the chains before putting a bullet through them to break her out, "Thank you, now put one through her."

"Oh yes, please do," I heard Emma behind me. I turned around to see she had gotten a gun of her own and it was aimed directly at Tori.

Just as she finished pulling back the hammer; I heard a gunshot ring out throughout the basement.

* * *

**A/N: And you all thought it was Ryder... Next big question, who shot who?**

**The title of this chapter is the name of a song in which its lyrics were also used, (_Blood On My Hands _by The Used) all credit to the owners.**


	23. Savior

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Quite the cliffhanger last time eh? Apologies for that, but if it's any consolation, it had to be that way. But here you go, read on...**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

_Just as she finished pulling back the hammer; I heard a gunshot ring out throughout the basement._

Emma's hand dropped, and with it, so did the gun, as a bullet embedded into the concrete wall near Tori and I. I looked over to Tori, who was completely unharmed, but looked dumbfounded. Emma eventually collapsed to the ground as I heard a voice, "This wasn't part of the deal!"

I about gave myself whiplash as I looked back over to the stairs where I saw Kevin standing there giving a bewildered look to Ryder, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, gun in hand. _What the fuck?_

"Ryder? What are you doing here?" I asked in astonishment.

He looked back at me with contempt, "You really think I wouldn't have something to do with this? Victoria deserves so much better than you, and I wanted to show her that. Emma was never supposed to hurt her!"

"This is your fault?!" I shouted at him, my anger level rising.

He scoffed, "It's as much my fault as it is yours! If you weren't such a _pathetic drunk_ she never would've been able to take her from the same goddamn bed you were in!"

_Shit…He… He's right. It's my fault. It's all my fault. _"Hey! She never would've had any consequences if you weren't such a psycho!" Kevin interrupted.

"I'm no psycho, I simply take drastic measures to give my loved ones what they deserve," Ryder countered.

"Yeah? What exactly is it that I deserve?" I heard Tori behind me.

Ryder looked to her, "Anything you want, the best of the best."

"What if I already have that? For fuck's sake Ryder, open your eyes! I'm happy! I have the girl of my dreams and an amazing family, yet you still feel an insatiable need to fuck that up! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that nutjob's dead, but you need to leave me alone, please."

He had an unreadable expression for a moment, before he walked past us and to Emma's still unmoving body, surrounded by a pool of blood coming from the bullet wound directly over her heart. He checked her pulse, and by his reaction, we knew she was gone. Ryder turned to us with a solemn expression, "Go home, I'll take care of her."

Tori looked to me, "Go ahead, I want to talk to him for a second."

I very hesitantly agreed before picking up my own gun and heading upstairs and waiting outside with Kevin.

**Tori's POV**

After Jade and Kevin left I looked to Ryder, "Why?"

"I told you why."

I sighed, "What about Emma? Don't even tell me she doesn't have a few hundred screws loose."

He looked at the floor shamefully, "Emma had it out for you from the get-go, she's been planning this ever since Jade ripped her a new one. She's _very_ mentally ill, that I know. That's why she bailed me out of jail after I was released from the hospital. Me, I'm just messed up. But I promise…you won't see me again."

I'd never heard so much remorse in his voice before; I knew he wasn't lying to me, and I was very glad. "Thank you, Ryder. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Victoria."

I headed up the stairs without another look back, hoping that this was the end. I walked out the destroyed door, I'm assuming the handiwork of Jade, before going over to Kevin and Jade, who were standing a ways back from the door. I walked right up to Jade and she immediately pulled me into a hug, "I'm sorry baby."

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault," I reassured her.

She sighed, "It was though. I let her take you while you were right next to me."

"You were passed out; it wasn't really in your control..."

"That's exactly it! It wasn't in my control. I was so drunk I lost control and lost someone I really care about. I told Kevin, we're going to get a new house and a security system. I'm also done drinking; I won't ever let this happen again."

"You're going to stop drinking? Why?" I asked, very surprised that she would even consider such a thing.

She looked down at the ground, "I almost lost you because I couldn't control myself or the situation. If me staying sober means you're safer, it's a small price to pay."

I looked at her in disbelief, not comprehending the fact she'd give up alcohol just to keep me safe. I mean it sounds silly, but when you think about it you'd see it from my perspective too. I went from that girl she couldn't stand to live with, to that girl she couldn't stand to live without in just a few short months. At this moment, all I can remember is her words from one night, _"Shit don't move slow 'round here."_ _Never been a truer statement._

I really had no words at that moment, so I just kissed her, hoping to express all of my gratitude and love as best I could. Kevin decided to interrupt our moment though, "Hey guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're kinda still in Mexico and we were just witnesses to a murder. We best skedaddle."

Jade and I both laughed at his word choice as we pulled away. Kevin decided to chauffeur Jade and I in the back as we napped, because fuck seatbelts. When we got back to the rental car place Kevin went to go return the car as jade called for a cab, and we went back to the airport, boarding a flight back to LA after airport security threw a tantrum over the guns Jade and Kevin brought.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

Oh man, the flight back was so much better than the flight there. I took it upon myself to initiate Tori into the Mile High Club, without her consent. I forgot to ask, pardon me. But come on, when do I ever ask for what I want?

I'm about ninety-nine percent sure I destroyed a little girl's innocence in the process; I no doubt aggravated her mother to astronomical levels. But that's life, right? No? I'm going to hell? Oh what's new.

After we got through security for the fourth and final time, we went and found my car out in the parking lot. As we were driving home, Kevin decided it was a good time to chew me out, "Jade, I swear to all that is holy, if you ever have sex on an airplane again I will never let you have pancakes again."

"Okie dokie. I'll make sure you don't catch me."

"And Tori," _Oh shit_, "If you ever _allow _her, I will take your phone away, got it?"

Tori actually _laughed_, "I'd like to see you try."

"I like you, a lot," I said with an amused smirk.

She stopped me right there, "Don't you even try me. You're in a lot of trouble."

"Oh boy," I said with a grin.

I heard Kevin's palm smack his forehead and I laughed, completely and thoroughly amused with myself. "What are we gonna do with her?" Kevin asked Tori.

Tori didn't even hesitate, "Deprive her of pancakes."

I gasped, "You wouldn't!"

She raised a challenging eyebrow before pulling out her phone, tapping the screen a few times, making a call, before talking, "Hey, Ben? Yeah, gonna need you to take _all_ of the pancake ingredients that we don't need and hide them…Just cause…Oh I know…Thank you."

"Kev," I whimpered.

He laughed, "Yeah kiddo?"

"I'm gonna die."

"Tor I think we found the proper discipline tool."

She laughed, "Oh I found this a long time ago, and I've just been waiting to use it."

"Don't make me turn this car around and take you fuckheads back to Mexico!"

Tori grinned, "You love me."

"Maybe so, but you're still the reason I can't have pancakes, and that makes me sad."

"Can you hear this? It's the world's smallest violin…" Kevin interrupted.

I pulled the car over to the side of the road, "That's it, Kevin, get out."

"Oh please can I stay?" He begged.

"Revoke Tori's orders to deplete my pancake consumption and you can stay."

"Done."

"Kevin!"

I laughed, "I am victorious."

Tori decided otherwise, "Fine then, no sex for a month."

"I change my mind, can I get out now?" Kevin asked now that the subject has changed.

"You guys never let me win," I grumbled.

"Wasn't in the job description, sorry babe." Tori replied with a grin.

I sighed, "Can we like, rewrite that contract?"

She laughed, "They're called vows, sweetheart." _Oh right, I'm marrying her. Real contracts… _

"Oh mierda…" I muttered, internally laughing at the fact all I remembered from the Spanish Tori taught me was the swearing.

"Problem?"

"No it's just, would it really be the end of the world if I wore like, jeans and a t-shirt instead of a goddamn dress. 'Cause that shit's just not me."

She could barely hold back her laughter, "I don't know, I think you'd look pretty hot in a tux."

"You know I'm still back here!" Kevin reminded us.

"Yes, and we're trying to have an adult conversation, so pipe down!" I snapped at him.

Tori shook her head, "You're so nice to him."

"It's a specialty of mine."

A while later we arrived home, as we walked in the door, Kevin was suddenly ambushed and forced into a running-jump-hug by his favorite redhead. As she clung onto him like a monkey, Tori looked to me for answers.

"Cat, has big thing for Kev," I said as I unloaded mine and Kevin's guns. She nodded in understanding as I got a death glare from Kevin. Cat suddenly rushed over to me, pulling me into a hug she knows I hate.

"Jadey! Where'd you go? Benny wouldn't say anything," she said, overly happy as usual.

I shrugged, "Impromptu vacation."

"Sounds fun!"

"It really wasn't."

"Oh. Well how about we go out to dinner? Go to Pierce afterwards and get a drink?" _Oh fuck._

I nodded, "Sure."

Cat turned around, "Everybody else is coming too, right?" She got agreements from everyone, and she was happy.

We went out to our favorite steakhouse, emptying Cat's wallet before we even got to the bar. It was really nice to just be out with friends for a night, no drama to worry about. After dinner we went to Pierce, and there lies the real test. Tori looked at me the moment we walked in, silently questioning me if my decision still stands. We all went up to the bar, everybody ordering something alcoholic, besides me.

Cat looked to me in disbelief, "Holy hell, Jade! Are you sick?!" She asked, feeling my forehead.

"There are more important things than alcohol," I responded as I smacked her hand away.

"What on planet Earth could that possibly be?"

I pointed back towards Tori, "That."

"Aww, Jadey's in loooove!"

"Good god you're slow," I muttered.

She frowned, "Mean."

I pulled Tori over to me, holding up her left hand, "Did you not notice this?"

"How was I supposed to know you put that there?!"

"Why would someone else propose to _my_ girlfriend?! Furthermore why would she _accept_?"

She sighed, "Point taken."

"Well I'm glad I could be of service…" Tori said hesitantly.

I looked over to her, "Oh, yeah, you were very helpful, thank you."

"I'll be over there, bothering Kevin," she said before giving me a kiss that lasted way too long, as Cat loudly cleared her throat a while later.

"Do you want to be a little _more_ obvious?" Cat grumbled.

I raised an eyebrow, "Should I not be?"

She mirrored my actions, "You're really going to tie yourself down like that?"

I laughed, "No, actually. That's the cool thing; I won't be. She's all I want, I don't care about anybody else, I don't care if I can't have anybody else because I don't need them. I'm perfectly content living my life with her."

"Who are you and what have you done with Jade West?"

"New and improved Jade West, nice to meet you."

She shook her head, "Whoever this Tori character is, she must be something else."

I smiled, "She's somethin' else alright."

* * *

**A/N: Surprise... Cat's made an appearance, and she's not going to pull an Andre and disappear. ****I tried to make this chapter a bit lighter, it's still overly dramatic but hopefully still fun. **

******This chapter may or may not be named after _Savior_ by Rise Against. Either way, listen to that if you want to be good to your ears ;)**


	24. All I Want

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: I do apologize for the confusion on the last chapter, back a few chapters ago, Ryder was being _possessive_ over Tori, not violent or hateful. This chapter, however, skips ahead a bit and deals with less drama but more intense stuff, just build-up.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

_You know what I hate? Being sober. You know what I love? Being sober._

_I could really use a drink right now._

_I've been entirely straight edge for a month now, and I honestly think I'm going to die._

It's these thoughts that plague my mind before I can even open my eyes. As I'm having an internal battle over whether or not to actually get up, I suddenly felt a rough tongue repeatedly licking my face, and I struggled to push off the overly large intruder, "Aero, _go away_!"

He whined and snuggled into my side. Of course Brad had to pick the cuddliest dog on the entire goddamn planet. I heard Tori laugh next to me when I sighed in annoyance, "I think he likes you."

"Yeah well I wish he liked someone else." I rolled over and gave her a kiss, "Happy birthday, by the way."

She smiled and kissed me back, and I swear we would've got somewhere if that stupid dog didn't go and lay _right_ between us.

"Fuck's sake, Aero! You're such a cockblock," I snapped at him, to which he tilted his head in confusion. Tori just happily accepted his presence, petting him as usual.

I groaned and got up, getting dressed and going out to the living room. "Where's Aero?" Is what Brad decided to greet me with.

"Getting more action from my girlfriend than I am," I mumbled as I collapsed onto the couch, putting my feet in Kevin's lap. "Reminds me, keep your mutt out of my room, kay? Kay."

"Ignore her, Aero's always welcome," Tori said as she walked out, the hyper beast in tow.

I groaned loudly in severe annoyance as she sat in front of the couch with that dumb dog. I took up my usual routine of absentmindedly playing with her hair as I watched TV, attempting to get in some quiet time before the hectic day started. Today we were planning a whole get-together for the families for Tori's birthday.

It was just after noon when the doorbell rang, Kevin hopped up to go get it, about knocking me on the floor, much to the amusement of the others. Tori finally left Aero to come wedge herself between me and the back of the couch, half laying on top of me.

"Hey baby sis!" I suddenly heard Trina greet Tori.

Tori looked up, "Oh hey Trin,"

She frowned, "What? No hug?"

"I just got comfortable," Tori half whined.

Trina scoffed but let it go, and I just laughed. Later on my father arrived, offering brief greetings to us.

Tori's parents came next, and they were kind of funny. "Huh, never seen you two together before when you haven't been on a stage," Tori's Dad said as he walked in.

"You've seen us perform?" I asked curiously.

He laughed, "I saw you kids perform even before Tori was in the band! Thought you were a delinquent before, honestly."

I couldn't help but laugh too, "Why would you let her marry me then?"

"I only let you 'cause she had them googly eyes every time she talked about you."

"Dad!"

"That's me. Either way, figured you weren't all bad, just mostly."

I smirked at the last part, "Just mostly."

He pulled up his pants in a cliché 'this is serious' fashion, "But you know, we haven't had that talk."

"Aw shit…"

"C'mon," he said as he walked over to the kitchen.

I sighed and slid out from under Tori and went over to the kitchen, "So what's up?" I asked as I got myself a root beer.

"Beer already?" He asked skeptically.

I showed him the label, "Root beer; I don't drink anymore."

"Oh really?"

I sighed, "Yeah, long story."

"Do tell."

I went through the entirety of the Emma-Ryder situation explaining exactly why I've given up my favorite pastime. "So yeah, decided Tori's safety was more important than any drunken stupor."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You know, I was going to give you that 'if you hurt my daughter' speech, but now I don't think I need to…"

"You don't. But go ahead and lay on the threats, you'll never need to go through with any of them," I said sincerely.

"I think I'll trust you on this one. But you take care of her, you hear?"

"Always."

He started to walk away, but added as an afterthought, "Reminds me, when's the wedding?"

I shrugged, "Hell if I know, ask Tori, she runs things 'round here."

* * *

**Tori's POV**

As Jade and my father walked away, Trina jumped over to the couch I was on, as my mother ambushed from the other side. _Aw shit._

"Hey…guys…" I said hesitantly.

"Oh cut the BS, you never talk anymore, what's been going on?" Trina snapped.

I leaned my head back and thought for a moment, then began the incredibly long story. As I finished, Trina once more interrupted me, "Wait, _Jade West_ went straight edge for you?"

"Guess so. Hasn't had a drink in over a month."

She grabbed my arm in a death grip, "Don't you ever let this one go."

I laughed, "I wasn't planning on it. I actually haven't told Jade yet but I went to get a fertility test the other day."

Their mouths dropped open in shock and I just raised a curious eyebrow.

"Are you serious?" My mom asked.

"Yeeeees"

"Well?" Trina questioned impatiently

I grinned, "I's gonna have babies."

Trina almost squealed in excitement as my mom gave me a big hug, much to my dismay, I suddenly heard Jade's voice, "What're you guys so happy about?"

"Tori just told us she's gonna-" I slapped my hand over Trina's mouth before she could say anymore, shooting her the best death glare I could muster.

"Tori's gonna do what now?"

I sighed, "You really have impeccable timing, Jade."

"I try. So what's goin' on? You got me all curious now."

"Uh, nothing?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, "Is that a question?"

I sighed, "Trina remind me to kill you for this later, Jade, come with me." I said as I got up and pulled Jade into our room.

"Is this an excuse to have sex or did you really want to talk?" Jade asked as I closed the door

I couldn't help but laugh at her all too Jade-like question, "No, I really wanted to talk."

"Then let's talk," she said as she sat up against the wall on the bed.

I sat next to her, "What Trina so rudely informed you about before I wanted you to know, was I went to take a fertility test the other day."

"WHAT?!" Jade yelled in complete shocked disbelief, loud enough that I could hear them laughing about it out in the living room.

"I didn't say it had to happen now!" I said.

She seemed to be desperately trying to process what was going on, and having no such luck, "But…a baby?"

"We don't have to."

"No…It's just kind of sudden."

I laughed, "I thought that was your kind of thing."

"Usually, yeah. But damn. Can't be takin' a baby on tour…we'd be pushing it with the dog the way it is."

"When we get back though."

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, leaning her head back on the wall, "I don't know. I've been dreamin' about this since I knew what dreams were. I was gonna have a fun, fast-paced life with my friends, my band, touring the country. But now I'm getting married and my to-be wife wants a baby."

I got up and sat in her lap, facing her, "I think," I started as I traced my fingers down her sides, "You need to calm down. Just a little bit."

I know the effect I have on her, and trust me, I feel more powerful than a dictator when I'm able to do this to her. Though she wasn't entirely acting like it, she was ready to freak out.

"We only have a few minutes until they start wondering what we're doing," I muttered before I began to kiss her.

"They won't be wondering."

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**Kevin's POV**

As the family was sitting around, talking, having a good time, I was starting to wonder what was taking them so long. Though the fact I was leaning against the wall that happens to connect right to Jade's room, left me wondering for a very short time. As soon as I heard that first drawn out "Fuck", I knew I had to distract the family, immediately.

"Hey, anybody wanna play Call of Duty?" I asked, desperately hoping either Ben or Brad would jump at it.

"If you'll put money on it," Mr. Vega surprisingly said.

I fired up the PS3 and Brad decided he'd play Mr. Vega first. True to his word, he put money on it, ten bucks in fact. An easy ten bucks for him. After Brad got his ass whipped, Ben reluctantly went up next. As they were playing, I suddenly noticed Trina standing next to me.

"They're having sex aren't they?" She asked quietly.

I laughed, "A little bit."

"God, they can't keep their pants on for one day, can they?"

"Actually no," I said, still laughing.

Trina sighed, "What happened to my baby sister?"

"She found my baby sister."

"Unfortunately."

I shrugged, "They love each other, that's all that really matters."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about taking Tori to get her sanity checked," Trina muttered.

"Jade's not that bad," I replied, getting defensive.

She laughed, "Don't even get me started. But I've got nothing against her, I know she'll be good to Tori, and she knows what I'll do to her if she isn't."

"She knows what half the world will do to her if she even thinks about it. She loves Tori, that's nowhere on her agenda."

Trina looked at me skeptically, "And how do you know this for sure?"

I laughed, "Have you met my sister? If she didn't love Tori she'd be drunk right now to keep from going insane because there's more of her here."

"And there she is havin' sex to get through it," she mumbled.

"Gotta do what you gotta do."

A while later, Jade and Tori finally came out of their room, as Tori went to go challenge her father in CoD, Jade came up to me, "How obvious was it?"

I shook my head, "They never noticed, tried to distract 'em with video games. What the hell was that for anyway," I added with a laugh.

She sighed and leaned back against the wall, "Told me she wanted a baby, I freaked, she seduced me. Very usual chain of events aside from the first part."

"A baby?" I asked in disbelief.

"Oh, that's not even the worst part."

"Do elaborate."

"I considered it!"

_Shock level 100_. I starred at her, not comprehending that _my sister_, would do such a thing. As I finally started to pull myself together, I began to regain my sanity, bit by bit, "Would that really be the end of the world?"

"Actually no, it wouldn't. But going on tour is something I've wanted to do my entire life, and to give that up for a snotty little slobber monster that's worse than Aero seems kind of ridiculous."

I shrugged, she had a point. "Well…our contract ends at the end of the last show on our tour, from there they'll either call us up again or we'll be back to playin' at Pierce."

"You know, I'm not gonna go and make a decision for the whole band, but how about one tour, all around the country, then chill out?" Jade asked thoughtfully.

"I'd be fine with playing at Pierce til the end of my days. But you know I'm with you no matter what you decide."

I suddenly found myself pulled into a hug, "When did life get so hard?" She mumbled.

I laughed, "One word, _women_."

She shook her head, "Oh, no, when that was plural shit was easy. Now that it's singular it's like rocket science. I failed algebra for fuck's sake."

"I don't think your lack of math skills apply here. The key is control; Tori seems to have that down, so why don't you ask her for some pointers."

Jade punched me rather hard in the gut for that one, and I couldn't help but continue to laugh. "Anyway, where are we sitting with our 'new house' fund?" Jade asked, changing the subject.

I pulled out my phone and went to my special savings account, where we kept all our joint savings. "About $750,000. That house you wanted was almost a whole six zeroes, so we've still got a ways to go."

"Would $250,000 be too much to ask for from Dad?"

"Ehh, we can try. Maybe the reasoning will be the deal breaker one way or the other, but I'm not sure."

She sighed heavily and shook her head again, "Scratch that. Even if we had enough to buy the house we'd be stuck in the gutter for a month."

"We'll be fine for another few months."

"Hell, I might have to take up insomnia with my sobriety just to keep my sanity in check."

I shrugged, "You're a light sleeper, keep a blade or heater handy in case shit gets real."

Jade laughed, "Nice Outsiders reference."

"Always liked that word for guns, sounds so innocent."

Our attention was redirected to the others when we heard a loud, "Come on!" come from Mr. Vega, as Tori sat there looking rather proud of herself.

"Hey guys, I just got money for dinner tonight!" Tori said to Jade and I.

"I like her," I said to Jade.

Jade laughed, "Me too."

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**A/N: I um...Name of the story, that's all I can say. I can say as well that I have no major plans for a mini Jori at this moment, just had an urge to add such things in the story. Last thing, this story will go on for about two more chapters, and both are going back to the real Life in the Fast Lane.**

**This chapter is named after _All I Want _by A Day To Remember. Just trying to see how many chapters and stories I can name after songs.**


	25. Drunken Lullabies

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: Busy weekends, gotta love 'em. Or hate 'em. Whichever. Either way, got perhaps a trick or treat here, depends on how you take it. This one's pretty long, you'll find out why. Also lots of inner monologue here, just random thoughts. Lastly, warnings for drug usage.**

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**Kevin's POV**

"Okay, okay, let me try again."

"Let's go, pretty boy."

Ben, Jade, and I were sitting on the couch, watching the highly amusing show of Brad trying to prove Tori isn't tougher than him. She had told him a long time ago not to hold back, and yet he still insisted he was.

He charged at her, as she easily dodged out of the way, catching his foot with her own and knocking him off balance enough that the shove to his chest had him crashing to the floor.

As he struggled to catch his breath, she just laughed, "Give up yet?"

"Fine," Brad grumbled. Tori smirked in triumph as she went to go reassume her usual spot on Jade's lap.

"You know, Brad, this is like, the 5th or 6th time she's whipped your ass in zero seconds flat," Jade said, barely containing her laughter.

"Yeah, you try to fight her!" He snapped back. _Oh shit._

Ben had a thoughtful look, "We've never actually figured out which one if you is the stronger one."

"Me, obviously," Jade said with a smirk.

"Oh really?" Tori asked as she stood up.

Jade stood up as well and got right in Tori's face, still wearing her playful smirk, "Yeah."

Ben leaned over to me and said quietly so the girls wouldn't hear, "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?"

I rolled my eyes as Brad came and sat down on the couch, out of the way of Jade and Tori, who both looked like they were coiled and ready to strike. Finally Tori made the first move, looking for an early takedown, but Jade was ready and quickly moved out of the way. Jade took the opportunity of Tori's vulnerability at that moment to trip her, but Tori caught herself and was able to regain her balance.

"Good one, but no."

Jade smirked and went for a takedown of her own, this time getting Tori down. They wrestled around on the floor for a few seconds until Jade finally got on top of Tori, pinning her down.

"I win."

Tori frowned, "Fuck you."

"Maybe later."

"Oh that's cute."

"I know," Jade said as she began to kiss Tori.

Brad leaned over to me, "Man, if only this happened every time women fought." I sighed and got up to go to the kitchen, kicking Jade's leg as I walked by so she'd stop before giving the guys too much of a show.

I went ahead and started dinner so we could eat before leaving for Pierce. Just as I expected, not even a fraction of a second after I started getting stuff ready, I heard the door to their room close. _They really have insatiable libidos, good lord._

As I was about done getting dinner ready, Brad came into the kitchen to get a Pepsi, "Man, why did we ever buy a TV if we live with those two? Endless quality entertainment right there."

I had to laugh, "Because Ben and I are slightly gentlemanly and respect their privacy. And fuck's sake one of them is my sister!"

"Meh…"

"You seriously need to get laid," I suddenly heard Jade say.

Brad thought for a moment, "Bet you twenty bucks I will tonight."

"Someone's cocky. S'a deal," Jade replied.

"Alright kids, dinner's ready. Get it now 'cause it's not gonna have your name on it," I said, grabbing my own plate. They all ran to the kitchen, shoving each other out of the way to get the last roll or using distraction tactics to get their food first (Jade and Tori)._ I swear some days I live in a zoo._

Aerosmith was just kind of standing off to the side, watching the chaos with curious eyes. Remembering his food, I put my food on top of the cabinets, where nobody but me was actually tall enough to get to it, and went to get Aero's. Afterwards I got my food again and went to go sit on the couch to watch whatever they had turned on, apparently _Fast N' Loud._

Later on we all got dressed in our usual attire before heading off to Pierce. I always love our concerts. Being in the back seems like the bad spot, not being seen and all that, but it's actually pretty cool, I can see all the others.

Honestly, I've been sitting back at these drums for four years, and every concert of those four years, I've seen the band in front of me grow and evolve, getting better every time. Sure, our first guitarist left, but we've got Brad now, and despite his occasional douchebag personality and horndog ways, he's pretty cool. No idea what-so-ever where we'd be without Ben; he's always been the level-headed one of the group, and we've needed that quite often. Then there's Jade, and damn, am I proud of her. She's awesome at what she does and nothing matters more to her than the people she loves. Such as Tori, who is the newest, but probably most influential member so far. She got the real Jade to come back, and I couldn't ever thank her enough for that.

Let's face the facts though; we've never been better than we have since Tori joined. I can't tell you what it is, but she's got somethin' that the band's been missing. Whether it'd be the more family-like attitude we've developed for each other, or the protective instincts we all share, or just the simple fact that Jade actually throws metric fuck-tons of emotion into her music these days.

The band aside, life's great. Ryder and Emma vanished off the radar, granted Emma's dead, but as for Ryder, time can only tell what he'll do. If that time comes though, he's gonna have four people to go through before he can get to Tori. We protect our own, and as far as I'm concerned, she's part of the family.

As we finish up our last song, the crowd goes nuts, as per the usual. We make our way backstage to pick up our spoils from Evan, and I see someone I'm all too familiar with who's here to greet me.

I know what you're probably thinking, what about Kevin? What's going on with Kevin? Well nothing, yet. I've got my eyes set on a certain overly-happy, perky redhead who doesn't seem to like to leave my mind.

"Hey guys!" Cat greeted us, running up and giving each of us hugs, receiving hugs (a reluctant one from Jade) and greetings in return.

"Jade, I still can't get over how amazing your singing is," Cat continued to gush.

Jade shrugged, "I kinda do it for a living."

Cat rolled her eyes, "Haven't changed a bit, have you. Anyway, come on; let me buy you guys a round of shots!"

As we got up to the bar Jade spoke to Cat, "Just get me a Pepsi."

"Oh no, you're getting at least one drink tonight. Don't have to get trashed but your 'sobriety' thing is lame!"

Jade sighed, "Fine, but get me something that Tori usually drinks, one of them sissy fruity drinks."

Tori frowned and smacked Jade's arm, to which she just smirked. As Cat came back with the shots she announced what she had brought, "Alrighty, got a Lemon Drop for the pansy and straight Tequila for the rest."

"Har har," Jade deadpanned before drinking her shot.

After Tori drank her shot she leaned over to whisper something to Jade, and Jade said something back that she grinned at, and I was honestly curious what kind of shenanigans those two were up to now.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

As Tori finished her shot she leaned over to me, "Hey."

I couldn't help but grin at her never ending dorkiness, "Hey."

"You're really hot when you sing, you know that?" She whispered, getting dangerously close to my ear.

I was about to respond, but Cat spoke up first, "So Josh's havin' a party tonight, you guys down?"

We all agreed, soon leaving for Josh's house. His driveway and the street his house was on were both loaded with cars, no unusual occurrence when it comes to his parties. We went inside, Josh greeting us enthusiastically; we'd always been pretty good friends.

Eventually we all ended up out in the backyard of the house, sitting around the fire pit and talking with some other friends we hadn't seen in a while. I randomly glanced over to my left, and saw Tori talking to this guy, looking _extremely_ flirtatious. Like 'I want to be in bed with you right now' flirtatious. I was curious; I'd never seen her act so risqué before. My jealousy almost got the better of me, until I saw him hand her something, and she gave something back in return. He had a creepy smile as she walked off, you can guess what his eyes were glued to.

Tori sat back down next to me with a sly grin, and my mind was just a jumbled mess of 'what the fuck'.

"Uhh…Whatcha doin'?" I asked hesitantly.

"You wanna leave?" She asked out of nowhere, avoiding my question.

I shrugged and got up, "Sure." I told Kevin we were leaving, and then we went home to switch cars to go up to the mountain. As we were driving home, I asked Tori, "So what was up with all that flirting?"

She laughed, "Powers of the boobs. Scored some weed."

"You did what now?" I snapped, hoping I hadn't heard her correctly.

"You know, weed, grass, pot, mari-ju-wana," she replied, putting emphasis on each syllable of the last one, seeming to be very amused with herself. I was starting to wonder if she was on that shit already.

I sighed, "Why?"

Tori shrugged, "So we can share."

"Again, why?"

"Hot sex."

I opened my mouth to respond, but those two words coming from her just made my mind go blank. She spoke up again, noticing my lack of words to vocalize, "It'd be fine up on the mountain. You can get trashed and high as the sky up there and we'd both be fine in the morning."

She had a point, and man did I miss Mr. Adams. I had a full six-pack of Boston Lager calling my name, and I wanted it. As for the weed, I was still on the fence about that, "Exactly why would that create 'hot sex' anyway?"

"Drugs make it awesome. Coke's just too much of a bother for that sole reason."

"Sure. Why the hell not. Did you pay him at all?"

"Gave him my 'phone number'" she said, using air quotes on phone number.

I was beyond confused now, "Uh..."

She uncontrollably laughed again, "Fake number for a sex hotline."

I smirked, "You're sexy when you're an evil genius."

We soon got back home and I went inside to grab my gun, just in case, as well as a change of clothes for both of us, figuring we shouldn't come home smelling like weed. Tori had gotten the beer and was already waiting when I came back out. We left and I drove to the mountain as Tori played around on her phone; I swear she's addicted to that thing. When we got there she finally put it away, grinning amusingly at my faux annoyed eye-roll.

We went into the cabin, grabbing a lighter we usually used for the lanterns as we went to the bedroom we had recently remodeled. Well, originally it wasn't a bedroom, technically it was an attic. But we cleaned it up and put a bed up there (technically that was just a mattress with sheets), right under the large skylight that gives us a great view of the night sky, there's really nothing better.

I collapsed onto the bed, as Tori sat down more gracefully, I popped open one of the beers and nearly chugged it as I savored the taste of the alcohol I missed so much. Tori finished up rolling the joint as I was halfway through my second beer, and I had to laugh at the overwhelming amount of contradiction and irony.

Tori lit it and we lay back on the bed, listening to the mix of various Pink Floyd songs put together in a playlist on her phone. It really was nice, relaxing, letting loose without fear of something happening.

I took the first hit, the memories of when I first did this rushing back into my mind. But now those old, painful memories were being overshadowed by new ones; ones of serenity, lying in bed up in my favorite place, with my favorite person.

One could say I move fast, that I may not think before I do something or simply act on impulse, but the fact of the matter is that I know what I'm doing. I know I'm jumping the gun, tenfold. But when you're someone like me, with a past even slightly similar to mine, time is something precious, as corny as that sounds. There is no time for slow, because life never slows down for you, you got to keep up. But for tonight, the rest of the world just won't exist.

By now the joint was about gone, and we had managed to drink five beers between the two of us, sharing the odd one. My mind was more hazy than it had been in over a year, and honestly, here with Tori, it felt pretty good. Tori handed it back to me for the last hit, and after it was just a stub, I licked my fingers and pinched out the smoldering tip, to which Tori dramatically gasped, "You're gonna burn yer fingers off!" She said, slurring most of the words together.

"You've never done that before?" I asked, tilting my head.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Why would I want to burn my fingers off?"

"All the cool kids do it," I said, and we looked at each other for a second before bursting out laughing for no reason.

"Are you saying I'm not cool?" She questioned when she finally stopped laughing.

I waved my hand dismissively and reached for the last beer, "Hush and make another one of those."

"Yes mistress," she said jokingly, though it turned me on immensely.

She turned the light on her phone on again and leaned it against the wall so she could see. I watched curiously over her shoulder as I lightly ran my fingers up and down her back under her shirt, which seemed to distract her a bit.

After a minute or two she finished it up and shoved it towards me, "Here you goooo."

I couldn't help but laugh, I was so fucked up in the head right now. "How'd you learn to make these anyway?" I inquired, maintaining some coherent thoughts.

"Must preserve some secrets, mustn't we?" She grinned as she used my line.

I used the same dramatic gasp that she did, "Vega's a druggie!"

She rolled her eyes, "It was a phase."

I lay back down and took a long hit before handing it back to her, "You should definitely get more of that stuff," I mumbled.

"Why don't you do it? You have better boobs," she said as she traded the joint for my beer.

"Not just about the size of the boat, babe. S'about the motion of the ocean. I don't have that natural flirtatious attitude."

I'm sure she was about to be grateful for the 'compliment' until she realized what I actually said, "Wait, what do you mean 'natural'?!"

I rolled over and kissed that sweet spot on her neck that always drove her crazy, "No, just saying that you're naturally irresistible."

She sighed, "You're full of bullshit, you know that?"

"Yet you still love me."

"Unfortunately."

I made a noise of slight annoyance as I continued to place kisses and occasional bites on Tori's neck. She suddenly put her hand under my chin, tilting my head up so she could kiss me, and even though we were both so fucking out of it, the kiss was still full of passion and love. It was when we pulled away and couldn't actually see each other that we realized it was pitch black in the attic; clouds had rolled in, blocking out what little light the moon provided. I went to go get one of the oil lamps, nearly tripping down the entire fucking ladder. _Note to self; don't climb ladders while highly intoxicated and/or simply high._

I used what little light I could get from my phone to find one of the lamps and very slowly make my way back up the ladder, good lord that was a chore.

When I got up there, the first thing I noticed was Tori was now using her phone for who knows what. The second thing I noticed, which was revealed by the light coming from her phone, was that she was entirely naked aside from her panties.

Though I was aroused beyond description, I still had to comment, "You know, when people do that they usually top it off with a seductive pose, not playing with their phone."

She glanced over at me with a sly grin, "'Usual' isn't my specialty, sorry."

I lit the lamp, then went back over to lay down next to her, taking a large drink from the beer before handing the remainder to her. As I went back to kissing her neck, I decided to play with her a bit, "So when do you wanna get married?" I knew full well she wasn't capable of coherent thoughts when I do this, and it drives her absolutely mad.

I moved my hand down, caressing the inside of her thigh with a light touch, "Next week? Next month? Month after? What're your plans?" I continued to question her between kisses. One thing that drives _me_ mad is simply her scent. Her naturally aromatic smell mixed with the sweetness of her perfume that created an intoxicating fragrance that puts me in a trance whenever she was near. At this moment, she's very near, and I'm on the edge of insanity.

"Stop it," she was barely able to grumble at me.

I smirked, loving the effect I had on her, as I shifted slightly to trail my way down to her breast, kissing everywhere except where she wanted me. I finally gave into my own selfish desires and circled my tongue around her nipple before sucking it into my mouth, repeating the licking, kissing, and slight sucking in no particular order, and then did the same with the other breast, all the while listening to the wonderful sounds of her heavy breathing and occasional moans.

After she practically pushed me off and down, I finally gave in to her wishes and settled myself between her legs. I still wasn't going to entirely give in yet, though. I began a slow trail of kisses along the inside of her thigh, getting dangerously close to her soaking wet center, moving away just as she tried to shift down to get some type of friction. I repeated the same actions with the other leg, no doubt frustrating her to no end.

I'd done this a hundred times, and had it done to me just as many, but every time I liked for it to be special, to not just be another time. Aside from quickies, no time for special there; still is though. I mean come on, you can't love somebody this much and just have _sex_ with them.

I went to take her panties off, marveling at how she still gets so wet whenever I do this. I tossed those aside and wrapped my arms around her legs, placing light kisses on the sensitive parts of her thighs, smirking every time she swore at me in Spanish. I always loved getting her so worked up, that face she'd have, stuck between pleasure and frustration, was enough to get me wet.

I drew lazy, slow circles on the inside of her thigh with the tip of my tongue, very close to where she was desperately trying to make contact. I suddenly felt her hand on the back of my head, pushing me into her. I couldn't help but laugh at the level of aggression she sometimes gets to when I make her too frustrated; the vibrations from my laugh of course only stimulating her more, causing her to sigh in pleasure.

As I lay here, still managing to frustrate my girlfriend even more so than I already did, I'm going to entertain my inner monologue a bit more. Pink Floyd is the absolute best band to have the sexy time to. Why? Better question is, why not? _Animals_ is a brilliant album, and perfect for lovemaking. But unfortunately, Tori's a goof and doesn't have it on her phone. So here I am, making due with _The Division Bell._ It's a good album too, trust me, but nothing compares to _Animals._

Right, the entirety of the reason. Tori continued to profusely swear at me in Spanish, promising my almost certain demise if I didn't hurry the fuck up. From the little Spanish I did remember, she was also talking dirty, and I _loved_ it. As I stopped for just a brief moment to catch what was playing, I realized _Marooned_ had just started. _Hmm…bet I can make her cum before this song ends…_

Accepting the bet from myself, I set right to work; the sudden jolt of pleasure from my tongue connecting with her center caused a moan to escape her. This was nothing new to me, one could actually say I'm quite familiar with the female anatomy since meeting Tori, since we both pretty much have a one-track mind; obviously that one track is sex. I knew right where that little bundle of nerves was, and I was purposely avoiding it, and I swear, if she wasn't in such a trance at the moment, she'd be homicidal towards me for this torture. I was enjoying it though, my tongue practically dancing around her clit as she continued to groan in frustration and shift to try to make contact.

As the music picked up I smirked, knowing she could feel it but couldn't react before her clit was in my mouth, and I was giving her all the friction she desired. After all the teasing I did, I could tell she was already very close. As she was moaning my name and various obscenities, both in English and in Spanish, I couldn't help but think, _they should make an album out of the sounds, fuck's sake this is hot._

True to my bet, about half of the way through the song Tori suddenly put both of her hands on the back of my head, holding me tight against her as she let out a rather loud and drawn out, "Oh fuck, Jade…"

I just continued the stimulation as she rode out her intense orgasm, still occasionally shuddering as the waves of pleasure continued to crash into her.

When she finally collapsed back down onto the mattress, completely exhausted and panting to catch her breath, I just smirked, proud of myself. I turned my attention back to her core, and focused on licking up all of the dripping juices, _can't let that go to waste._ All the while I was lightly dragging my fingers up and down her sides, this simple motion always made her happy for some reason.

I finally finished my task and went to lay down next to her, just as I heard the music fade out, and I just grinned in amusement.

Tori pulled me over to her for a long, slow kiss. As I kissed her, I noticed the distinct taste of the weed smoke, recent, not like she had smoked it 10 or 15 minutes ago. I pulled away slightly, laughing, "You smoked during sex?"

She looked at me with dreamy eyes, "You should try it, and while you're at it, learn to be a bottom; you're not gonna tease me like that and get away with it."

I smirked and rolled over onto my back, picking up the joint and relighting it, "Yes mistress."

* * *

**A/N: I wasn't entirely happy with how 'Cloud Nine' turned out, and said I'd make better smut when I could. So, yeah. Hope this is better. I'm not one to promote drug usage, and I personally have never done any type of drug, so I can't be certain of the reality of the effects. As for the smut, I honestly can't help but make most everything I write, even if it's serious, slightly humorous; so of course we've got the girls' usual back and forth banter.**

**Disclaimer time, here we go: _Animals_ is a very good album by Pink Floyd, as is _The Division Bell_, _Marooned_ being a song from that album. _Fast N' Loud_ is a show on the Discovery Channel, pretty cool, fun to watch. Lastly the name of the chapter is based off of the song _Drunken Lullabies _by Flogging Molly. None of these are of my creation.**

**A side note as well, that little easter egg I put in the 'Future's So Bright' chapter, was the Revel Entertainment record company. That name being a parody of Victory Records, one of the main labels for A Day To Remember, one of my favorite bands. **


	26. Here's to the Past

**Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.**

**A/N: This _might_ be the last chapter of this story, gonna mark it complete just in case but I may add another chapter. I've already started the sequel so be looking for that soon. This is mostly just fun dialogue, so enjoy.**

* * *

**Jade's POV**

"No, Cat, you have to shake it, not stir it!" I shouted to her, getting increasingly more frustrated.

She rolled her eyes, "You're supposed to stir it!"

"I was a bartender for fuck's sake! I think I should know these things."

"You should, but you don't!" Cat looked over to Kevin, "Kevin, please tell Jade that you're supposed to stir it!"

I knew Kevin knew the proper way to do it, but wasn't about to tell his girlfriend she was wrong, "Sorry babe, not getting in the middle of this."

She groaned in annoyance as Tori walked out from our room and Cat looked to her, "Tori!"

"That's me," Tori said, barely looking up from her phone.

"Tell Jade you're supposed to stir an Aggravation, not shake it."

Tori raised a curious eyebrow, "Why? That's not how you do it."

"AHA!" I shouted in triumph.

Cat frowned, "She's your fiancé! That doesn't count."

"But your boyfriend does?" She was lost for words at that one, and I just smirked and did a little victory dance.

"Would you hurry the fuck up on my drink!" Ben shouted.

I rolled my eyes, "As if you need more Aggravation."

"Cute," he mumbled, looking back to the TV.

"Hey! Only I can call her cute!" Tori snapped at him. _I love it when she does that._

"You guys need to chill," the new hippie of the band said.

I looked over to Brad, "Just smoke your weed and shut up."

As I was finishing Ben's Aggravation the _correct_ way, I heard Kevin talking to Brad, "Dude, isn't that like your 5th joint today?"

"Maybe?"

"Goddamn, you put Marty to shame."

Brad laughed and quoted Marty, "Statistical fact; cops will never pull over a man with a huge bong in his car. Why, they fear this man, they know he sees farther than they, and he will bind them with ancient logic's."

We all had to laugh at that one, as Brad started fixing up _another_ joint.

I went back over to the couch, handing Ben his drink and sitting down, "In all seriousness, Brad, you better get your shit together before we leave. No way in hell are we bringin' a druggie on tour."

"I can quit!" Brad said defensively as he went and completely shit all over his own claim by lighting the blunt and taking a hit.

I sighed, opting not to address that, "Never said you had to quit, said you had to get your shit together. Stop smoking like it's your fucking job and we'll be fine."

"You smoke," he mumbled.

I sighed, "Brad you know my rules."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah, only smoke and drink when you're up on yer mountain o' love."

"Brad."

"Yes?"

"You have a 5 second head start before I hunt you down and viciously murder you. Go."

He took off like a shot, and I started counting, "1…2…3…" Tori interrupted me by sitting on my lap.

"You are not going to kill Brad!"

"But he-" "No!" I leaned my head on her shoulder and sighed in exasperation, "I hate him. I really do."

"You don't hate him; he's just an asshole when he's high."

"All of our guests are assholes," I grumbled.

"I heard that!" Cat shouted from her spot on Kevin's lap.

I rolled my eyes, "This is me caring."

"Yo, Jade, I think you need one of these," Ben slurred from his place over on the new recliner, referring to his drink.

"Did I not just almost whip Brad's ass for saying something similar?" I snapped at Ben.

Ben gave me a sweet, innocent smile, "Yeah, but Tori's on your lap now, so I can say whatever I want."

I copied his smile, "Go for it then."

"You're so fuckin' whipped. Just sayin'." Ben laughed.

**Kevin's POV**

I had to cover my mouth to suppress my laughter, _Ben, you just wrote your own epitaph._ Cat's eyes widened comically as her jaw dropped.

"Ben," Jade said in an eerily calm voice.

"Yeees?"

"Put your drink down."

He looked confused, but complied anyway, "Now wha-"

Ben was cut off by Jade, who had since gotten up, picking up Tori and putting her on the couch then charging at him, literally knocking the entire chair backwards. I didn't even try now, I was almost _crying_ watching Jade beat the living hell out of a drunken Ben. Tori sat up and kind of giggled as she watched it. Brad finally came back into the living room to see what all the commotion was, and upon seeing Jade beating up on Ben, he looked to Tori, "Do something!"

Tori laughed, "Nah, she's gotta prove she ain't whipped."

Jade turned around, glaring at Tori, "I'm not whipped!"

She put her hands up innocently and Jade finally got off Ben, stomping to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge, taking a huge gulp of it. Jade went to her room, and came back a second later with her keys, grabbing Tori's arm and dragging her to the door, "We're leaving."

Tori laughed and wiggled her fingers at us in a wave, "Too-da-loo."

As soon as the door closed I continued my laughing fit as Ben sat up, rubbing his shoulder, which Jade had nearly ripped out of its socket. I looked to Ben, trying to calm my laughter to speak, "She's not whipped, Tori just prevents her from doing things like that."

"Lesson learned," he muttered.

* * *

**Jade's POV**

Damn, I haven't done this whole 'drinking and driving' thing in forever. Feel like I've been missing out a bit. My beer's gone by the time we get to the top of the mountain. As I park, I looked over to Tori, "Give me your phone."

"Why?"

I sighed, "Because I asked for it."

"No you didn't, you demanded it."

"Tori, may I _please_ have your phone?" I asked somewhat nicely, to which she finally obliged and handed it to me. I put it in the center console and shut it with finality, "There. Let's go."

She opened her mouth to protest, but just sighed and got out of the car. I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and stopping her, "You know why I took your phone, don't you?"

"Because you're evil?" She mumbled, leaning back into me.

"Try again."

Tori turned around, wrapping her arms around my neck before kissing me, "You talk too much."

"There you go."

We eventually found our way up into the little attic where we spend most of our time these days. I fell onto the bed, pulling Tori with me, and she just smiled as she snuggled up to me.

As I lay here holding the girl who'll be my wife in no less than a week, I can't help but laugh a little as I recall the day we met, the day that started it all.

"What're you laughin' about?" She mumbled.

"Just remembering that day we met."

She laughed too, "I remember how you were so shamelessly checking me out."

"Ben never bothered to say this "lesbo guitar prodigy" was sexy!" I defended.

"Oh so I'm not sexy now?"

I frowned, "I never said you weren't."

"But you went all past-tense."

"Get out of here and take your logic with you!" I said, barely holding back a laugh.

She moved to get up, "Ooookay."

I held onto her tight, "No."

"I don't know why you like me, I'm not sexy," she scoffed.

I sighed, "I don't even get me started."

"Aww, but I like hearing it."

"Go get me a beer and I'll tell you a story," I said, winking at her.

She groaned and got up to go downstairs to the little mini-fridge stocked to the brim with beer. _What can I say? When I let loose I don't hold nothin' back._

While she was gone I went and turned on the green lights we hung around the attic; the lanterns were fine and everything but if we're gonna spend this much time here we got to have electricity. S'why we had Kev go and get us a generator, so much nicer now.

After there was some light in the room I went and laid back down, she came back a minute or so later with a beer that was only half full.

"Really, Vega?"

"You said I had to bring you a beer, never said anything about it having to be full," she said as she sat down.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "Why the hell are you in a band? You could be a lawyer with your damn logic."

She shrugged, "I'm good with my fingers."

I had to laugh, "That is true."

"So your story?" She asked, grinning as she gave me another full beer that she brought.

As she cuddled up to me I had a question, "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"Tell me about how the band started."

_**Flashback**_

_I was playing around on my guitar, the same one that Drake smashed about a year later, when Kevin plopped down next to me and picked up some pencils I used for my songwriting and just started tapping on stuff with them. Like that outrageously irritating thing kids do in school, but he was actually good at it._

_I turned to Kev and said, "You know, Kev, we should like, start a band or somethin'. I don't want to get a real job cause fuck that shit and if we get decent people we could make some good money."_

_He looked thoughtful, "You'd actually tolerate other people enough to start a band?"_

"_It might be fun," I said with a shrug._

"_Yeaahhh. Fun and we could get laid all the time, bein' popular and all that."_

_I laughed, "There ever a time when sex isn't on your mind?"_

"_Not sure, sometimes when I'm sleeping maybe, but most of the time I dream about hot girls."_

_I nearly dropped my guitar while I was laughing, and he just continued on, "I know you do the same."_

"_Oh yeah, all the time," I said, barely able to breathe._

_**End of Flashback**_

"Dreamin' about hot girls huh?" Tori laughed.

I couldn't help myself, "Yeah, even back then I was dreaming about you."

She rolled her eyes, "Anyway, who's this 'Drake' and why'd he smash your guitar?"

I bit my lip nervously, wondering if I should actually tell that story, even though I was laughing my ass off internally.

"C'mon, spill!" She said.

"He uh…caught me sleeping with his girlfriend."

She nearly did a spit-take with her beer and about cried laughing, "In my defense I didn't know she was his girlfriend!"

She only laughed harder at my attempt at defense, "You…You slept with his girlfriend. Oh my god, Jade."

"He claimed that I possessed her and made her a lesbian, then proceeded to smash my guitar and leave. It was quite tragic and she was not worth it, at all. I miss that guitar."

"Oh that poor guitar, caught in the crossfire of more of your antics."

"It was not more of my antics! As Kev said, I laid the wrong person and paid for it in more ways than one."

Tears were now streaming down her face as she struggled to control her laughter, "You paid for it?!"

"She paid me!"

"Oh my god you're so not helping yourself here."

I sighed, "Said she was a huge fan and would literally pay to get in my pants. So be paid to get laid? Hell yeah."

"You're the best," she said, finally calming down a little.

"I do try."

"How did he catch you anyway?" She asked after thinking a moment.

I opened my mouth to respond but just laughed. Finally composing myself a bit, I answered, "It may or may not have taken place on the couch in the basement."

She just exploded into a fit of laughter now, "Damn, thought you'd get mad or something'," I mumbled.

"Why would I?"

I didn't honestly have an answer to that, "I don't know."

"I'm the only one who gets in your pants now, so it's okay."

I laughed, "How do you know?"

"'Cause I'm in your pants all the time."

"That is true." She grinned in triumph before climbing on top of me, giving me a kiss that left me at a loss for words.

"And if anybody else can do that I would _love_ to meet them," she added with a wink.

I was suddenly struck with a random thought, "You know, that's like the one place we haven't had sex in the house."

"There and the new couch."

"You know…technically it isn't 'new' anymore…"

She sighed, "We're not going to have sex on Kevin's couch!"

"Fine, fine…"

* * *

**Tori's POV**

After practically the entire night of Jade telling me rather hilarious stories of the history of the band, I eventually fell asleep cuddled up to her while she was basically falling asleep while telling a story. The next morning we begrudgingly drug ourselves out of that amazingly comfortable bed to go back home.

Arriving back home, we found Kevin lounging on the couch while Cat was trying and failing miserably to make pancakes. With an over-exaggerated annoyed groan, Jade went to the kitchen to repair the fiasco that Cat created of her favorite food. I went over to the couch to challenge Kevin to a death match in CoD, and as we were playing he asked, "So how was your night?"

"Great, Jade told me a bunch of stories about the band before I got here."

He laughed, "She tell you about Drake?"

"Oh yeah, I about busted a lung laughing at that one."

"She was pretty pissed about that, told the girl to go fuck herself 'cause she wasn't worth her "beautiful guitar." That's pretty much when Brad came into the picture. Poor jade, she mourned that guitar for months. S'why she got the miKro."

I laughed, "Didn't your Dad buy that for her?"

"Yeah. Was pretty funny, 'cause while she was pickin' one out Dad was spoutin' off some shit about he thought I'd be the one with the issue of keeping my pants on."

"Did you go and say like 'Dad, this is _Jade_. Have you met her?'"

"HEY! I'm not that bad!" Jade shouted from the kitchen.

Kevin scoffed, "Says the girl who made a bet with Brad that she could get laid more times in 24 hours than he could in a week."

"I was right though," she mumbled. I lost it at that point, allowing Kevin to kill me because I was just laughing hysterically.

"What was the final score?" I asked breathlessly.

She sighed, "Five to one."

Kevin joined me in laughing now, and I swear these stories are better for the abs than any of those workout programs. "You sure you still wanna marry her?" Kevin asked.

"Why would I pass up this wonderful opportunity?" I laughed.

"Wonderful opportunity eh?" Jade asked, walking over to the couch.

"To tame the great _Jade West_? Hell yeah!"

She scoffed, "Killjoy."

"You lie so hard, Jade," Kevin mumbled.

Jade looked to him, "Oh really?"

"If I could read minds, back say, six months ago, I would hear nothing but 'Tori' coming from your thoughts."

She laughed, "Are you implying there's a difference between then and now?"

"Yes, now you scream it."

I literally fell on the floor at that point laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Cat came over wondering what was going on, and saw me in tears on the floor, and Jade strangling Kevin, "Yeah…Gonna go back to the kitchen now. You kids have fun."

"No! Cat help!" Kevin stammered out.

"No…I'm good."

I finally calmed down enough to struggle to pull Jade off of Kevin.

"Thanks, Tor," Kevin said, finally composing himself as I still was trying to stifle my laughter while sitting on top of Jade to keep her from murdering him.

"Yeah thanks Vega," Jade muttered.

"Don't get mad at the truth!" Kevin said.

Jade frowned, "I'm going to kill you in your sleep."

"Not if you're with Tori."

Jade glared at Kevin while I smacked him upside the head, "What?!"

"Our sex is not for your benefit!"

"It depends on the situation…"

I got off of Jade, "Get him."

Kevin got up and took off running out the front door, Jade not far behind. Cat came over to me, "Why is your fiancé trying to kill my boyfriend?"

"'Cause your boyfriend pissed off my fiancé."

"Should we eat the pancakes while she's gone?"

I shrugged and got up to go to the kitchen, "Not gonna get them any other way."

* * *

**A/N: I don't like seriousness, what can I say... So a bit of a recap; Kevin and Cat are in each other's pants now, Brad's a druggie, the girls are getting married in a week, and they're going on tour soon. Busy lives eh? I'm gonna throw down a vote for you guys, you can pick what the sequel will be based on! I'm not gonna give any options 'cause frankly I'm stuck. So you guys tell me what you wanna read, and I'll see what I can do.**

**For reference, an Aggravation is correctly made the way Jade said, by giving it a shake and not stirring it. Marty, is the druggie from _The Cabin in the Woods_, and that quote _is_ from the movie. Drake may or may not be a reference to our favorite ego-maniac from _Drake and Josh._ The "You just wrote your own epitaph" quote, is loosely based off of a spammed line from _Skyrim_; specifically used by Mercer Frey. And last but certainly not least, this chapter is named after the song _Here's to the Past _by A Day To Remember.  
**

**Since this story is ending, I'd like to announce the arrival of a story I've been working on for quite a while; _The Sixth Silhouette_. Bit of a preview for that if you're interested.  
**

_**Robbie cleared his throat, "See, we're each marked with a number," he said, showing his on his arm as evidence, "And each number represents a person somewhere in the world. These people are all apparently absolutely despicable and deserve the fate we're supposed to dish out; death."**_

_**Their eyes widened at his words and some let out gasps of horror, but Robbie continued, "They're not well known criminals though, which means at least two things; the feds aren't after them, and they'll be easy to find for that very reason. That in mind, according to this list Jade assembled, we have to kill in order, we also only have six days to complete all six assassinations, and nobody must find out who committed the murders. If any one of these rules isn't followed, we die."**_

_**"What's the order?" Tori asked hesitantly.**_

_**"Well first is..."  
**_


End file.
